SANTA CLARA, CALIF. (Aug. 28, 2015) - On day one of the Santa Clara Tournament, the Rutgers volleyball team dropped its season opener to Sacramento State on Friday afternoon at the Leavey Center. The Scarlet Knights fell to the Hornets by set scores of 29-27, 25-19 and 25-22.
Sophomore outside Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) led RU with 13 kills, while juniors Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) and Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) contributed six kills apiece in the loss. Senior setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) added a team-high 15 assists, followed by sophomore setter Talia Holze (Wheaton, Ill.) with 14.
Defensively, senior Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) led the team in digs (14). In her first appearance as a Scarlet Knight, freshman middle Tiaja McKnight (Los Angeles, Calif.) earned a starting nod and paced RU in blocks (5).
Sacramento State was led by senior outside Sloan Levett with a match-high 18 blocks, followed by classmate Lauren Kissell with 13 of her own.
SET ONE
Set one found the score balanced from the start. A service ace from McKnight would tie the score, 5-5, turning the momentum toward the Scarlet Knights. Matthews then contributed three straight kills for RU to keep the score balanced, 8-8.
Although Sacramento State would go on to control the lead, Matthews once again cut the deficit to one, 18-17, with her fourth kill of the set. An ace from senior Ronnie Komisarek (San Monteo, Calif.) gave the Scarlet Knights its third straight point and a 20-18 lead.
After trading points, Fletcher gave RU match point at 24-23. The Hornets would not go down easy as the squads traded the sets final points. Sacramento State claimed the win in set one, 29-27.
SET TWO
After the Hornets jumped to an early 10-3 lead, Matthews stumped their momentum with a kill. Although Sacramento State would hold control of the advantage, the Scarlet Knights found a burst to bring the deficit to 13-10.
Back to back kills from Fletcher would bring the score to 19-16. However, the Hornets pulled back in front with a 5-1 run, setting the count at 24-17. Despite Rutgers holding on for the next two serves, Sacramento State would seal the set with a 25-19 victory.
SET THREE
Sacramento State would jump to a 5-1 lead to start the third set. However, senior outside Alex Lassa (Eagle, Colo.) gave the Scarlet Knights a rhythm as RU brought the count to 5-4. The teams would go back-and-forth on the board, highlighted by service aces from Holze, Komisarek and Sudbury.
With her second ace of the set, Holze tied the score at 15-15, followed by a kill from Lassa to give RU its first lead of the set. The Hornets would balance the board again at 16-16, but the Scarlet Knights held their edge. With the score at 19-19, Sacramento State found a 4-0 run to reclaim the lead at 23-19.
After Fletcher stumped the burst with a kill, the sophomore and teammate McKnight registered a tremendous block to bring the set within one point at 23-22, but it was not enough, as Sacramento State claimed the match with a score of 25-22 in set three.
KNIGHT NOTES
- The Scarlet Knights opened the season on the road for the 21st consecutive season.
- Despite the loss, the Scarlet Knights out-blocked the Hornets, 8-3.Freshmen Tiaja McKnight and Bree Coffey earned starting nods in their first ever appearances as Scarlet Knights.
- Four different Scarlet Knights registered at least one service ace in the contest - Ronnie Komisarek, Talia Holze, Anna Sudbury and Meme Fletcher.
- Sophomore setter Talia Holze tied her career-high with two services aces in the match.
- Junior right side Cole Trimble tied her career-high with three kills, earning playing time for the first time since 2013.
- With four kills in today's contest, senior outside Alex Lassa brought her career total to 903, leaving her 14 kills away from breaking into the top 10 in the Rutgers career record book.
The Scarlet Knights return to action tomorrow against host Santa Clara at 1 p.m. ET, followed by a match with UC Riverside at 6 p.m. ET.
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