Final Stats

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. (Oct. 8, 2016) - In a rematch from two weeks prior, the Rutgers women's volleyball team was swept by No. 15 Penn State on Saturday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions (14-3, 6-0 Big Ten) topped the Scarlet Knights (4-15, 0-6 Big Ten) by scores of 25-13, 25-16, and 25-10.

Meme Fletcher continued to pace the Scarlet Knights in kills with nine in the match. Lauren Cloyd followed with five kills of her own. Mikaela Matthews led the squad with three total blocks.

Penn State finished with three players with double-digit kills. Tori Gorrell and Simone Lee added in 11 kills, while Haleigh Washington followed with a 10 kills and a match-high .750 hitting percentage.

Despite trailing at the start, Rutgers held the margin close with Penn State at 6-5. Although the Nittany Lions jumped to a 12-6 advantage, the Scarlet Knights closed the gap within three at 13-10. From there, PSU discovered a surge to run away with the set, 25-13.

RU responded by rallying to a 6-3 lead over PSU at the start of the second set. The Scarlet Knights held its edge at 9-7, guided by two kills from Fletcher, before the Nittany Lions tied up the frame 10-10. Penn State halted the Rutgers momentum to reclaim the lead at 15-10. PSU continued to grow its edge to as many as 10 en route to a set two victory. Rutgers struggled to regain its rhythm in the third, as Penn State closed the set with its third straight set win of the match.

UP NEXT
Rutgers remains on the road with a trip to Indiana on Friday, Oct. 14 before a matchup at No. 17 Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 15. The Scarlet Knights contest with the Boilermakers will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers has competed in six consecutive matches against a ranked foe or opponent receiving votes, including Penn State (No. 18, No. 15), Illinois (RV), Michigan (No. 22), Michigan State (No. 18) and Wisconsin (No. 2). Illinois has since jumped into the top 25 rankings.
• Mikaela Matthews brought her career blocks total to 345 and is now eight blocks away from moving into the top five on the all-time career blocks list.

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