Final Stats

SMITHFIELD, R.I. (August 27, 2016) - The Rutgers volleyball team closed out opening weekend with a pair of sweeps over Hartford and Bryant on Saturday at the Chace Athletic Cener. The Scarlet Knights concluded the Bryant Hampton Inn-vitational with a record of 3-1, finishing as tournament champions.

Senior right side Cole Trimble was named Tournament MVP after averaging a .365 hitting percentage across four games. Freshman libero Karysa Swackenberg joined her teammate earning All-Tournament accolades of her own, posting a team-high 47 digs in four starts as a rookie.

GAME ONE
Rutgers swept Hartford in its first match of the day. After set wins of 25-22 and 25-21, the Scarlet Knights dominated set three, 25-9, to close the straight-set victory.

Junior outside Meme Fletcher led the Scarlet Knights with a .481 hitting percentage, posting her second double-digit kill effort with 15.

Hartford was led by Katy Henchy and Paulina Modestow with nine kills each as the Hawks fell to 0-3 to start the season.

RU raced to a 4-1 start to get things rolling in set one. Although Hartford came within one on two occasions, Rutgers kept its advantage on the board. A kill from Trimble helped guide RU to its biggest margin since the start at 11-6. As a point-for-point battle ensued, Rutgers held at least a three-point cushion throughout. The Scarlet Knights soon established an 18-12 lead before the Hawks discovered a 5-1 surge to inch within two at 19-17. That is as close as RU would allow as senior right side Lauren Cloyd knocked down set one's final kill for a 25-22 RU win.

Set two began as a back-and-forth battle until Hartford found a 4-0 surge to set a three-point gap at 7-4. Trailing 10-7, Rutgers used a 7-2 run capped by four unanswered points to give the Scarlet Knights a 14-12 advantage they would never relinquish. Leading by as many as four, RU held off Hartford as a Fletcher kill closed the set win at 25-21 to give the Scarlet Knights a 2-0 edge in the match.

Rutgers cruised to a 9-1 advantage to begin the third set, highlighted by four consecutive points behind the serves of Swackenberg. Rutgers continued to extend the gap as an ace for Fletcher set the Scarlet Knight lead at 13-3. RU's dominance continued as its lead grew to 20-7. The Scarlet Knights never looked back as a Fletcher kill sealed the sweep with a 25-9 win in set three.

GAME TWO
After a set one victory, the Scarlet Knights added a dominant win in set two en route to a 3-0 sweep of Bryant. Fletcher posted her third double-digit kills performance with a match-high 15 kills. Cloyd and freshman middle blocker Jasmine Stackhouse each recorded seven blocks in the win.

The Bulldogs were led by Kelly Robbins with seven kills, followed by Alexandra Lunsford and Grace Richmeyer with six kills apiece. Bryant finished with a record of 2-2 in the invite.

Rutgers opened set one with the lead before Bryant used five consecutive points to go ahead 5-2. Trailing 10-6 in the first set, Rutgers found its rhythm with a 4-0 run to balance the score 10-10. The teams then traded points, but a Fletcher and Stackhouse block put the Scarlet Knights back in the lead at 13-12. The battle continued with the score knotted on seven occasions with Rutgers holding the edge. With the score balanced 21-21, the Scarlet Knights tacked on four unanswered points to claim the first set, 25-21.

Fletcher kick started the RU offense in set two, knocking down three consecutive kills to begin a 10-0 run for an 11-1 lead. Back-to-back aces for Fletcher and a Bulldog error pushed the already substantial Scarlet Knight lead to 16-3. RU would hold at least a 10-point cushion en route to a 25-12 win in set two.

RU opened set three with a 4-1 lead. Although Bryant would tie up the score 4-4, Fletcher remained hot with back-to-back kills to put RU back in front 6-4. The teams would again trade points as Bryant found the largest margin of the battle with a 15-11 advantage. Rutgers answered with a 6-2 run guided by two kills each for Fletcher and Trimble to reclaim the lead at 18-17.

From there, the score would be tied four times as the Bulldogs inched ahead 22-21. However, the duo of Stackhouse and Cloyd added back-to-back blocks to return the momentum to RU along with a 24-22 lead. Bryant was able to tack on a single point before Fletcher captured the victory for RU with a final kill.

UP NEXT
Rutgers returns to action at the Yale Invitational on Sept. 2-3, facing Iona, Albany and host Yale.

BRYANT HAMPTON INN-VITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Astrid Mangual, Hartford
Erica Di Maulo, St. John's
Evelyn Shanefield, Rider
Ally Lunsford, Bryant
Karysa Swackenberg, Rutgers
Cole Trimble, Rutgers (MVP)

Tournament Champions - Rutgers

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers concluded the weekend as tournament champions ahead of Bryant (2-2), St.John's (2-0), Rider (1-2), and Hartford (0-3
• Cole Trimble was named Tournament MVP as a member of the All-Tournament Team, averaging a .365 hitting percentage with 26 kills.
• Karysa Swackenberg earned the starting nod in all four games, picking up 47 digs en route to All-Tournament accolades.
• Mikaela Matthews brought her career total blocks total to 278, moving into ninth on the Rutgers all-time career list.
• Brooke Enners earned the starting nod in her first appearance as a Scarlet Knight in the match against Hartford, matching her career-high with three kills in the win.

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