LINCOLN, NEB. (Oct. 13, 2015) - Despite the eighth double-double for sophomore outside hitter Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) and a late second set rally, the Rutgers volleyball team suffered a loss to No. 9 Nebraska on Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers claimed the match by set scores of 25-11, 25-17 and 25-14.
Rutgers dropped to an overall mark of 4-19 and a conference record of 1-10. Nebraska improved to 17-4 overall and 8-3 in league action.
Fletcher led the Scarlet Knights for the fifth straight match with 10 kills and match-high 13 digs. Senior defensive specialist Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) also tied the match-best with 13 digs of her own. Classmate and setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) added in 22 assists to lead RU.
Nebraska was led by Kadie Rolfzen with a match-high 12 kills and 10 digs, while Kelly Hunter contributed 27 assists in the win. Kadie Rolfzen and Amber Rolfzen tied for the match lead with four blocks apiece.
Even though a kill from senior outside hitter Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) followed by a service ace from classmate Ronnie Komisarek (San Manteo, Calif.) kept the margin within one at 4-3, Nebraska found a groove to jump to a 12-5 advantage. The Huskers held their control of set one, taking the frame by a score of 25-11.
Despite trailing on the board at the start of set two, Rutgers kept the score tight, as a kill from Frazier held the count at 6-4. The Huskers began to establish an advantage, but a kill from senior Alex Lassa (Eagle, Colo.) and a block from Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) and Stephenson brought RU within two at 10-8. However, Nebraska stumped the RU run, moving to a 18-8 lead.
Ultimately, the Huskers would find set point at 24-13, but the relentless Scarlet Knights were ignited by a block from Sudbury and Matthews to keep the second set alive. After Matthews added a kill, Fletcher kept RU rolling with a kill of her own. Junior Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) joined the rally with a solo block to give Rutgers its fourth straight point to set the score at 24-17. The late burst for RU fell short as Nebraska closed the stanza with a 25-17 win, creating a 2-0 edge in the match.
Rutgers used its momentum to move to a 2-0 lead at the start of set three, but Nebraska bounced back to flip the lead, 7-4. The Scarlet Knights never let up adding three unanswered points to tie the count at 7-7. The Huskers responded with five straight points of their own to take the lead, 12-7. RU stumped the run, holding the margin as close as four points on multiple occasions, but it was not enough as Nebraska finished the set with a 25-14 win to claim the match.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers competed in front of a crowd of 8,129, marking the largest crowd RU has played in front of since joining the Big Ten. The total nearly doubled the biggest crowd a year ago, when RU faced No. 6 Wisconsin in front of 4,608 fans on October 10, 2014.
- The ninth-ranked Huskers marked the sixth ranked conference opponent the Scarlet Knights have faced this season.
- Meme Fletcher added in her eighth double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. It marked her third straight match with double digits in both columns.
- Ali Schroeter added in 13 digs to tie for the team lead for the 10th time this season, extending her all-time career digs record for RU to 1,713.
Rutgers wraps up its weekend at Iowa on Saturday night. The match is set for an 8:30 p.m. ET start. The Hawkeyes fell to Maryland, 3-1, on Friday night and enters the match in search of its first conference win of the season.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics ) and (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's volleyball, follow the program on Twitter @RUvball.
-RU-
