Rutgers University
4-26,1-17Big Ten
Michigan State
16-13,8-10Big Ten
Volleyball Concludes Home Slate with Senior Knight
Nov 21 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 21, 2015) - Concluding its 2015 home slate, the Rutgers women's volleyball team fell to Michigan State (25-15, 25-21, 25-13) on Saturday night at the College Avenue Gym.
Prior to the match, The Scarlet Knights honored their 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.
After each earning the starting nod, the six seniors all contributed to tonight's match. Stephenson finished second on the team with seven kills, along with three digs and two blocks, while Frazier added in two blocks and a kill. Lassa added in three kills, while Sudbury registered a team-high 28 assists. On the defensive side, the duo of Schroeter and Komisarek at libero registered 16 and 10 kills, respectively.
Michigan State was led by Alyssa Garvelink with a match-high 12 kills. Allyssah Fitterer followed with a double-double in kills (10) and digs (11), while Chloe Reinig rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 kills.
Despite falling behind, 7-1, Rutgers rallied back to pull within three at 9-6 on consecutive kills from Lassa. The Scarlet Knights held the deficit to four, until the Spartans found a 5-0 run to take control of the set with a 16-7 advantage. Back-to-back kills for RU cut the margin to 19-12, but it was not enough to kick start the offense, as MSU took the first set, 25-15.
Michigan State once again claimed an early 5-2 lead in set two, but RU rallied behind the arm of sophomore Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) who fueled the offense with three kills of her own to balance the score at 6-6. A Spartan miscue would put the Scarlet Knights in the lead at 7-6. Although MSU would reclaim the lead at 8-7, RU kept the margin as close as one, until the Spartans found a 16-11 edge. Despite trailing by as many as six, Sudbury and Frazier got things rolling with back-to-back kills to bring the deficit to 22-18. Although Rutgers was able to pull within three at 23-22, Michigan State held the Scarlet Knights off to claim the set by the slim margin of 25-21.
Rutgers carried its late surge into the third set, keeping the score balanced from the onset. Michigan State would go on to take a 9-4 lead, but RU responded with three uncontested points capped by an ace from Schroeter to bring the count to 9-7. The Scarlet Knights kept the gap to as little as three until the Spartans found a 12-8 lead. The edge was not for long as a kill from Komisarek and an ace from Fletcher brought the margin back within two at 12-10. MSU ended the burst for RU, generating a 24-12 lead. Although a kill from Fletcher would hold Michigan State at match point, the Spartans closed the win with a kill on the following serve.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Meme Fletcher nearly eclipsed a double-double with team-high nine kills, along with nine digs in the match.
- Ronnie Komisarek brought her career digs total to 986, a mark good enough for eighth place in the Rutgers' record books.
Up next, Rutgers concludes its 2015 campaign on the road with trips to No. 10 Wisconsin on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and No. 16 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 28.
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.
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