Volleyball Hosts Michigan State for Senior Knight
Nov 20 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 20, 2015) - Coming off a close four-set loss to No. 15 Purdue, the Rutgers women's volleyball team welcomes Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 21 for its final home contest of the year at the College Avenue Gym. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Prior to the first serve, RU will honor its six seniors - middle blocker Eden Frazier (Irvine, Calif.), defensive specialist Ronnie Komisarek (San Manteo, Calif.), outside hitter Alex Lassa (Eagle, Colo.), defensive specialist Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.), outside hitter Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) and setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) - in a Senior Knight ceremony.
| Rutgers (4-25, 1-16 Big Ten) at No. 9 Nebraska (15-13, 7-10 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 21 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | College Ave. Gym |
| Live Results | |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Michigan State |
RU'S LAST TIME OUT
Rutgers pressured No. 15 Purdue in a four-set loss on Wednesday night at the Barn. Despite falling behind 2-0 to start the match, Rutgers regrouped and dominated the third to stay alive with a 27-25 victory. The Scarlet Knights carried their lead into the fourth frame, but the Boilermakers used extra serves to hold off RU, 26-24, and escape with the match win.
Three Scarlet Knights finished the night with double-digits in the kills column, led by junior right side Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) with 11 kills, in addition to eight blocks. Stephenson contributed 10 kills, while sophomore outside Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) added in 10 kills and 12 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Fletcher ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 3.64 kills per set.
On the defensive side, Frazier tied her career-high for the third time this season with nine blocks, as RU led Purdue in the category, 13-8. Komisarek registered a team-high 14 digs, along with a match-high four service aces in the loss.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State (15-13, 7-10 Big Ten) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a four-set victory over Northwestern at home on Wednesday night. The Spartans edged the Wildcats, 28-26, in set one before falling, 25-20, in the second. MSU then topped NU by the close margin of 25-23 in set three followed by a commanding 25-9 win in set four to take the win.
In the match, Chloe Reinig and Allyssah Fitterer led the squad with 18 and 11 kills, respectively. Reinig sits in second on the season stat sheet with 2.95 kills per set. Megan Topkins registered a career-high nine blocks, as she ranks 12th in the conference in blocks per stanza with an average of 1.12 on the year.
Head coach Cathy George is in her 11th season at the helm of the program.
SERIES VS. THE SPARTANS
Michigan State has claimed victories in all four matchups between the programs. RU and MSU last met back in October of this season, when the Scarlet Knights were swept by the Spartans by set scores of 25-15, 25-16 and 25-11.
Fletcher led the Scarlet Knights for the 12th game this season, registering a total of 10 kills. Cloyd and Stephenson followed with four kills apiece. Cloyd also led the squad with four blocks.
On Michigan State's side of the court, Alyssa Garvelink registered a match-high 12 kills, along with three solo blocks out of five total. Holly Toliver followed with nine kills, while Rachel Minarick added in a match-best 30 assists.
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-RU-
