IOWA CITY, IOWA (Oct. 31, 2015) -- Concluding a three-game road swing, the Rutgers volleyball team dropped its match at Iowa on Saturday night. The Scarlet Knights fell by the slim margins of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-20.
Rutgers fell to an overall record of 4-20 and a 1-11 record in conference play. Iowa improved to 11-14 and picked up its first conference win of the season for an identical league mark of 1-11.
The Scarlet Knights were led by outside hitters Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) and Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) with nine kills each. Juniors Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) and Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) each registered a team-high five blocks, as RU led Iowa, 9-5, in the category. Senior Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) notched a season-high 21 digs in the match.
The Hawkeyes were guided by Lauren Brobst with a match-best 11 kills, followed by Taylr McNeil with nine of her own. Loxley Keala led the match with 34 assists, while Annika Olsen contributed 26 digs.
Rutgers and Iowa traded points to begin the first set, as the score remained balanced. It was a kill from Fletcher that kindled a spark as RU took a lead at 9-8. The Scarlet Knights tacked on two more uncontested points to create an edge that both squads had been in search of at 11-8.
RU maintained at most a three-point cushion until Iowa tied the count, 15-15, on a 3-0 run. The lead would switch to the Scarlet Knights before the Hawkeyes took control. A kill from Stephenson diminished the deficit to one at 21-20, but it was not enough to get RU back on track as Iowa took the first, 25-20.
Moving into the second set, the score stayed balance once again. Even though the score was tied five times, Rutgers was able to hold the advantage through the opening serves. With RU up 8-6, Iowa rallied to erase the Scarlet Knight lead, moving in front 10-9. The count would be tied on two more occasions before the Hawkeyes generate the largest lead of the set at 20-15. Trailing 23-16, RU notched four unanswered points, however, Iowa notched the next two to take the frame, 25-19.
RU carried momentum from its late rally in set two to jump to a 3-1 lead in the third. However, Iowa tied the count at 4-4 and took control of the lead until Rutgers tied it back up at 10-10. Although the Hawkeyes went on to create a 23-15 advantage, a kill from senior Eden Frazier (Irvine, Calif.) brought the Scarlet Knights to life. As the defense held strong, Fletcher notched four consecutive kills to bring RU within three at 23-20. However, the late burst fell just short as Iowa closed the match with a 25-20 victory in the final set.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers led Iowa in blocks, 9-5, as Lauren Cloyd and Mikaela Matthews paced the team with five blocks each.
- Ali Schroeter registered a season-high 21 digs, bringing her all-time career digs record total to 1,522.
- A total of seven Scarlet Knights contributed at least one kill in the match.
Up next, Rutgers returns home to the College Ave. Gym, hosting No. 3 Penn State on Friday, Nov. 7 and No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 8. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. starts.
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