Rutgers University
4-22,1-13,Big Ten
Ohio State
20-6,9-5Big Ten
No. 12 Ohio State Tops Volleyball
Nov 07 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 7, 2015) - Facing its seventh ranked opponent of the season, the Rutgers volleyball team was topped by No. 12 Ohio State on Saturday night at the College Ave. Gym. The Buckeyes took the match by set scores of 25-13, 25-16 and 25-19.
Rutgers fell to an overall mark of 4-22 on the season and 1-13 in the Big Ten, while Ohio State improved to 20-6 overall and 9-5 in the league.
Senior outside Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) led the Scarlet Knights with 10 kills on 18 attempts for a .389 hitting percentage. Classmate and middle Eden Fazier (Irvine, Calif.) and junior right side Cole Trimble (Orlando, Calif.) followed with six kills apiece. Senior setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) contributed 27 assists in the match, while classmate Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) tied her season-high with 21 digs.
Ohio State was paced by Katie Mitchell with a match-high 12 kills, hitting a .500 clip. Audra Appold notched 10 kills for the Buckeyes to round out the double-digit scorers. Taylor Sandbothe added in a match-best five blocks, along with six kills in the win.
Senior libero Ronnie Komisarek (San Manteo, Calif.) delivered a service ace to open the match for Rutgers. The teams would trade points on the following serves, until Ohio State generated a commanding 13-3 lead. A kill from Frazier ended the burst to help the Scarlet Knight offense regroup. Two kills from Stephenson and a Buckeye service error brought the deficit to 16-7. Although the Scarlet Knight defense held strong to win a couple of long rallies, RU struggled to get back on track as OSU claimed the first set 25-13.
A 3-1 lead for Ohio State was quickly erased, as an ace from Schroeter ignited RU. Back-to-back kills from Sudbury and sophomore outside Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) cut the OSU deficit to one, setting the score at 6-5. Despite the Buckeyes generating an 11-7 lead, a block from Frazier and junior Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) followed by an ace from Fletcher brought the Scarlet Knights within three at 11-9. Ohio State responded with a 10-4 run to expand its lead, 21-13. Returning from a timeout, Fletcher knocked down a kill to ignite the Scarlet Knight offense, but the late rhythm was not enough to top OSU. The Buckeyes took the second set 25-16 and a 2-0 edge in the match.
Although Ohio State moved to an early 6-2 lead, junior Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) stumped the run with a kill. The Buckeyes continued to expand their lead, however, a kill from Schroeter and an Ohio State error brought the margin to three, as Rutgers trailed 13-10. An 8-2 run for the Buckeyes would bring the score to 21-12 as the Scarlet Knights trailed in the count. However, a kill from Stephenson followed by two consecutive kills for Trimble kept RU alive. OSU tacked on two more points before Stephenson knocked down three straight kills to bring the score to 23-18. Applod added in a kill to give the Buckeyes match point, but Stephenson notched her sixth kill of the set to hold them off. In the end, the late rally fell just short at Ohio State closed the set with a score of 25-19.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers faced its seventh ranked opponent of the season in No. 12 Ohio State.
- Megan Stephenson registered her highest hitting percentage of the season (.389), leading the team with 10 total kills.
- Ali Schroeter matched her season-high with 21 digs, increasing her all-time Rutgers career digs record to 1,553.
- With six digs in the match, Ronnie Komisarek moved into ninth on the all-time career digs list, registering a total of 955 career digs.
Up next, Rutgers remains home to host Indiana for a midweek matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Match is set for a 6 p.m. ET start.
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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