NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Oct. 14, 2017) – Rutgers volleyball dropped a Big Ten match to No. 10 Michigan State in straight sets on Saturday evening by set scores of 25-17, 25-13 and 25-21.
 
The Scarlet Knights (5-15, 0-8 B1G) posted their highest attacking percentage in Big Ten play with a mark of .194, coming against the highest ranked team they've played this season in No. 10 Michigan State (13-4, 6-2). The Spartans used a .378 hitting clip and 10 service aces to maintain an all-time undefeated streak against Rutgers without dropping a set.
 
For the second consecutive night, junior outside hitter Sahbria McLetchie and sophomore middle blocker Stasa Miljevic tied for the team-lead in kills, this time with eight apiece. One night after posting a .429 attack percentage, Miljevic followed that up with another efficient evening on .429 hitting with two errors on 14 total swings.
 
MSU's Autumn Bailey led all attackers with a .474 hitting mark with 10 kills, Maggie Midgett passed out 33 assists, libero Jamye Fox notched seven digs, and six different Spartans got in on a block in the victory.
 
The Spartans led wire-to-wire in Set 1 with a 6-0 run aiding in a 13-4 lead. With the score at 24-12, the Scarlet Knights saved five straight set-points as freshman outside hitter Yana Kamshilina provided the sideout with a kill before freshman opposite hitter Kamila Cieslik served up and ace and Miljevic bounced a kill to get RU within seven points before MSU's final kill.
 
Another 6-0 run allowed the No. 10-ranked team to take control of Set 2 up 13-6, but Miljevic accounted for the next two Rutgers points via the kill. MSU went on two more 4-0 scoring runs to take the set and the 2-0 lead heading into the 10-minute intermission.
 
Set 3 proved to be the closest frame with four tie scores and three lead changes. An early 5-0 spurt gave Michigan State the 7-3 advantage, but RU managed a 6-2 run shortly after to knot the score at 11-11. The Spartans stole momentum right back with a 6-0 stint before a service error disrupted the run.
 
Cieslik accounted for 2.5 points during a 5-1 run with a kill, an ace and a block assist as Rutgers got within 20-18, prompting Michigan State's second timeout of the evening. Despite a kill apiece from Miljevic and McLetchie down the stretch, MSU held its slim advantage for the match-clinching set win.
 
KNIGHT NOTES

• Michigan State improves to 8-0 without dropping a set in the all-time series dating back to 2000.
• Sophomore setter Megan Sharkey produced 26 assists on Saturday to bring her career total to 1,068, which is just 14 away from tying Jennifer DelGais for No. 10 on the Rutgers all-time assists list.
• Miljevic now leads the team with a .273 attack percentage in Big Ten matches.
• Cieslik finished with six kills on a .250 hitting clip to go with an assist, two aces, five digs and two block assists. With 29 service aces this season, the rookie continues to rank second among all Big Ten servers in the ace department.
• Sharkey assisted on three blocks for her most stuffs ever in a Big Ten contest.

 
Up Next: The Scarlet Knights hit the road for a nationally televised Big Ten match at Indiana on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. RU stays in Indiana for a match at Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. on BTN-Plus.
 
 
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