HAMILTON, N.Y. (Sept. 12, 2015) - Senior defensive specialist Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) made history on Saturday as she became Rutgers' all-time career digs leader, however it was not enough to guide the Rutgers volleyball team to victory in its final two matches at the Colgate Classic at Cotterell Court.
Schroeter brought her career digs total to 1,358, claiming the number spot in the career record books. The senior surpasses former Scarlet Knight Shayla Bush, who racked up 1,344 digs from 2000-03.
On the day, the Scarlet Knights dropped a pair of four-set matches to Albany and Yale at Cotterell Court. RU moved to an overall record of 2-7, while Albany improved to 4-4 and Yale improved to 4-2.
Yale was crowned the winners of the Classic with a record of 3-0, followed by Albany with a mark of 2-1. Schroeter was named to the Colgate Classic All-Tournament Team.
GAME ONE - Albany 3, Rutgers 1
In its first game of the day, Rutgers fell to Albany, 3-1, by set scores of 25-15, 25-20, 17-25 and 25-9.
Sophomore outside hitter Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) led the Scarlet Knights with a match-high 16 kills, marking her eighth straight match as the team leader. Junior setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) contributed another match-high for RU with 34 assists. With 14 digs in the match, Schroeter became the all-time career digs leader for Rutgers.
Albany was led by Shannon Hurley with 16 kills, while Mikala McCauley added 33 assists.
Rutgers jumped to a quick 5-2 lead to start set one. Albany battled back however, tying the score on two occasions before taking an 8-7 lead. The Great Danes would never surrender their edge, ultimately claiming the set with a score of 25-15.
Albany used that momentum to move to a 10-3 lead at the start of set two. Rutgers never let up, as a service ace from Fletcher brought the deficit to 13-11. Despite the burst, the Great Danes re-extended their lead as the Scarlet Knights fell, 25-20, in the second stanza.
Set three found a momentum shift as Rutgers controlled the lead throughout. The Scarlet Knights used a 10-5 run to generate a 16-10 lead over the Great Danes. RU would maintain at least a three-point margin for the remainder of the set, taking the win 25-17.
In the end, Albany bounced back in the fourth set, winning the match with a final set score of 25-9.
GAME TWO - Yale 3, Rutgers 1
Rutgers' second match of the day played out similar to the first contest. The Scarlet Knights dropped the opening two sets by identical scores of 25-14, before winning the third, 25-19. The Bulldogs sealed the win by the small margin of 25-21 in the fourth set.
Senior outside hitter Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) led the squad for the first time this season with a total of 11 kills. Junior right side Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) followed with 10 kills. In just her second appearance as a Scarlet Knight, transfer sophomore Aspen Luedtke (Oceanside, Calif.) registered a career-high 16 digs to lead the team.
Yale had four Bulldogs register double-doubles in the win, led by Kelly Johnson with 14 kills and 13 digs. Kelsey Crawford, the tournament MVP, registered a match-high 39 assists for Yale.
Set one kicked off as a battle for every point, as the score was tied three times. Yale took control with a score of 10-7 on a 4-1 run. Although Rutgers would pull within three on two occasions, Yale ran away with a 25-14 win in set one. The second stanza followed the same tune, as the Bulldogs after found a lead it would not relinquish following a point-for-point battle between the teams.
Rutgers found its momentum in set three, posting an 8-4 advantage to open the frame. The Scarlet Knights held at least a five-point cushion for the remainder of the set, leading by as many as seven points. RU dominated with a 25-19 win to push the match to a fourth set.
In the final set, the teams tied the scoreboard six times before the Bulldogs grabbed the biggest lead of the stanza at 11-7. Although, Yale held onto that edge, Rutgers found a small surge to bring its deficit to 16-14. It would be the closest the Scarlet Knights would come, as RU fell by a slender score of 25-21.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers fell to an overall record of 2-7 after finishing the weekend with a record of 1-2 at the tournament.
- Meme Fletcher led the Scarlet Knights for the eighth straight match, posting 16 kills in the match against Albany.
- Ali Schroeter became the Rutgers all-time career digs leader with 1,358, surpassing former Scarlet Knight Shayla Bush who totaled 1,344 from 2000-03.
- Aspen Luedtke made her first two appearances as a Scarlet Knight, leading the team in the match against Yale with a career-best 16 digs.
COLGATE CLASSIC NOTES
- Yale is the tournament champion with a 3-0 record in the event, followed by Albany (2-1), Rutgers (1-2) and Colgate (0-3).
- All-Tournament Team : Kelly Johnson (Yale); Kelly Wirth (Yale); Liani Leindecker (Albany); Tatum Jungsten (Albany); Ali Schroeter (Rutgers);Jaelah Hutchison (Colgate)
- Tournament MVP : Kelsey Crawford (Yale)
Up next, Rutgers opens its home schedule the host of the Rutgers Invitational from Friday, Sept. 18 to Saturday, Sept. 19. The Scarlet Knights welcome Howard, Princeton and Duquesne to the College Avenue Gym.
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