Friday, September 15
Moon Township, Pa.
11 AM
Rutgers University
vs
Penn
Volleyball Heads to Robert Morris Invitational
Sep 14 | Women's Volleyball
Final non-conference matches of the season on tap against Penn, Middle Tennessee State and the host Colonials
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Sept. 14, 2017) – With Big Ten competition set to begin at home on Sept. 22, Rutgers volleyball ships off for its final tune-up tournament at the Robert Morris Invitational, where they will face Penn, Middle Tennessee State and the host Colonials on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16 in Moon Township, Pa.
SCOUTING PENN (3-3)
• The Quakers sit at .500 in non-conference play, and are coming off a 1-2 run through the Valley Forge Sports Invitational last weekend with the win against Siena. Penn hits .227 as a team with 12.1 kills/set, and their hitting percentage ranks atop the Ivy League during tournament season.
• Senior middle blocker Kendall Covington has been named to two consecutive All-Tournament teams and paces the offense with 62 kills on a .397 hitting clip, which ranks first in the Ivy League and 47th nationally.
• Freshman outside hitter Parker Jones was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5 following a 44-kill weekend at the George Mason Invitational. The Penn freshman is currently hitting .234 and leads the team with 3.38 kills/set.
SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (3-8)
• The Blue Raiders went 3-0 at Morehead State's Comfort Inn-vitational to claim its first preseason tournament crown in seven seasons. MTSU started the season with eight straight losses before improving to 3-8, and hit .148 as a team with 10.2 kills/set.
• Sophomore setter Taylor Hammill was named the Comfort Inn-vitational MVP, and was joined by senior Sloane Sullivan and junior Regan Coughlin on the All-Tournament Team. Hammill has 8.14 assists/set through 11 matches, Sullivan has nine aces and 47 digs, and Coughlin is the team's top hitter with 2.92 kills/set.
• The Blue Raiders rank 18th in Division I with 64 total service aces, and 23rd with 1.73 aces/set. Sophomore Dora Peonia leads the way with 14 service aces.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS (5-7)
• After starting the season 1-5, the Colonials head into their home tournament winners of four out of their last six matches. RMU hits .201 as a team with 12.2 kills/set and 537 team kills, which ranks 22nd nationally.
• Freshman middle blocker Emma Granger is the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week following her performance at the Valley Forge Invitational with 2.82 kills/set, 1.27 blocks, 10 aces and a .364 hitting clip over three matches.
• RMU is ranked second in NCAA Division I with 82 team service aces, and 12th with 1.86 per set. Granger's 23 aces lead the way and come in at third in the country in the latest NCAA statistical rankings.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
• Rutgers owns a 13-8 all-time advantage over Penn in a series dating back to 1977. This is the first meeting for any player on the current rosters as the last match occurred in 2012, a 3-1 victory for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers has won five straight in the series with Penn's last win coming in 1995.
• In their only all-time meeting, Rutgers defeated Robert Morris, 3-1, on Aug. 31, 2013 at the Indiana Invitational.
• Middle Tennessee State will be Rutgers' sixth brand new opponent to the all-time list this season.
SECOND'S BEST
The second set has proved to be the most important in all of the Scarlet Knights' six matches this season. RU is 3-0 when winning the second set, and 0-6 when dropping it.
CROWNED
The Scarlet Knights opened the 2017 season with a tournament championship at the East Carolina Invitational. Following a loss to Georgia State, Rutgers rebounded with the first two victories of the season over William & Mary and the host Pirates. The Scarlet Knights opened the day with a 3-0 win over W&M (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) and clinched the tournament title by bouncing back from a lost first set to win 3-1 in the evening over host ECU (19-25, 27-25, 25-17, 25-22).
Freshman opposite hitter Kamila Cieslik was named the ECU Invitational Most Valuable Player after averaging 4.30 kills/set, while sophomore setter Megan Sharkey (9.09 assists/set) and freshman outside hitter Yana Kamshilina (2.30 kills/set, 6 blocks, 19 digs) were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
DOMINANT DEBUT
Cieslik made an immediate impact and currently ranks near the top of all Big Ten players in hitting. The Rutgers rookie is ranked 13th this week in the B1G with 3.31 kills/set. Cieslik is looking to make a fourth consecutive All-Tournament Team to start the season in as many tries. After being named the ECU Invitational MVP, she made the Seton Hall Classic All-Tourrnament Team with 3.67 kills/set on a .424 hitting percentage, four service aces, 14 digs and eight blocks. She was also named to the Kangaroo Klassic All-Tournament Team with 21 kills, seven blocks and 18 digs. She also served up at least one ace per match over that stretch with four total.
KNIGHTED
Head coach CJ Werneke and the Scarlet Knights have selected senior setter Talia Holze and sophomore libero Karysa Swackenberg as captains of the 2017 squad. Holze is now a two-time captain.
B1G CHALLENGE
When the Scarlet Knights enter Big Ten play next week, a gauntlet of nationally ranked talent awaits. The preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 rankings included eight programs from the Big Ten, including four in the Top 10. Currently, Big Ten teams occupy the top two spots in the country, and still have four in the Top 10.
Ranked programs include No. 1 Minnesota (with 40 first place votes), No. 2 Penn State (with 14 first place votes), No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 15 Purdue, No. 21 Michigan, No. 23 Michigan State and No. 25 Ohio State. Illinois sits just outside the Top 25 with 25 points. Rutgers will host Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Penn State this season in the College Ave. Gym.
Follow Rutgers Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram (@RUvball) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersVolleyball). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics).
SCOUTING PENN (3-3)
• The Quakers sit at .500 in non-conference play, and are coming off a 1-2 run through the Valley Forge Sports Invitational last weekend with the win against Siena. Penn hits .227 as a team with 12.1 kills/set, and their hitting percentage ranks atop the Ivy League during tournament season.
• Senior middle blocker Kendall Covington has been named to two consecutive All-Tournament teams and paces the offense with 62 kills on a .397 hitting clip, which ranks first in the Ivy League and 47th nationally.
• Freshman outside hitter Parker Jones was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5 following a 44-kill weekend at the George Mason Invitational. The Penn freshman is currently hitting .234 and leads the team with 3.38 kills/set.
SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (3-8)
• The Blue Raiders went 3-0 at Morehead State's Comfort Inn-vitational to claim its first preseason tournament crown in seven seasons. MTSU started the season with eight straight losses before improving to 3-8, and hit .148 as a team with 10.2 kills/set.
• Sophomore setter Taylor Hammill was named the Comfort Inn-vitational MVP, and was joined by senior Sloane Sullivan and junior Regan Coughlin on the All-Tournament Team. Hammill has 8.14 assists/set through 11 matches, Sullivan has nine aces and 47 digs, and Coughlin is the team's top hitter with 2.92 kills/set.
• The Blue Raiders rank 18th in Division I with 64 total service aces, and 23rd with 1.73 aces/set. Sophomore Dora Peonia leads the way with 14 service aces.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS (5-7)
• After starting the season 1-5, the Colonials head into their home tournament winners of four out of their last six matches. RMU hits .201 as a team with 12.2 kills/set and 537 team kills, which ranks 22nd nationally.
• Freshman middle blocker Emma Granger is the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week following her performance at the Valley Forge Invitational with 2.82 kills/set, 1.27 blocks, 10 aces and a .364 hitting clip over three matches.
• RMU is ranked second in NCAA Division I with 82 team service aces, and 12th with 1.86 per set. Granger's 23 aces lead the way and come in at third in the country in the latest NCAA statistical rankings.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
• Rutgers owns a 13-8 all-time advantage over Penn in a series dating back to 1977. This is the first meeting for any player on the current rosters as the last match occurred in 2012, a 3-1 victory for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers has won five straight in the series with Penn's last win coming in 1995.
• In their only all-time meeting, Rutgers defeated Robert Morris, 3-1, on Aug. 31, 2013 at the Indiana Invitational.
• Middle Tennessee State will be Rutgers' sixth brand new opponent to the all-time list this season.
SECOND'S BEST
The second set has proved to be the most important in all of the Scarlet Knights' six matches this season. RU is 3-0 when winning the second set, and 0-6 when dropping it.
CROWNED
The Scarlet Knights opened the 2017 season with a tournament championship at the East Carolina Invitational. Following a loss to Georgia State, Rutgers rebounded with the first two victories of the season over William & Mary and the host Pirates. The Scarlet Knights opened the day with a 3-0 win over W&M (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) and clinched the tournament title by bouncing back from a lost first set to win 3-1 in the evening over host ECU (19-25, 27-25, 25-17, 25-22).
Freshman opposite hitter Kamila Cieslik was named the ECU Invitational Most Valuable Player after averaging 4.30 kills/set, while sophomore setter Megan Sharkey (9.09 assists/set) and freshman outside hitter Yana Kamshilina (2.30 kills/set, 6 blocks, 19 digs) were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
DOMINANT DEBUT
Cieslik made an immediate impact and currently ranks near the top of all Big Ten players in hitting. The Rutgers rookie is ranked 13th this week in the B1G with 3.31 kills/set. Cieslik is looking to make a fourth consecutive All-Tournament Team to start the season in as many tries. After being named the ECU Invitational MVP, she made the Seton Hall Classic All-Tourrnament Team with 3.67 kills/set on a .424 hitting percentage, four service aces, 14 digs and eight blocks. She was also named to the Kangaroo Klassic All-Tournament Team with 21 kills, seven blocks and 18 digs. She also served up at least one ace per match over that stretch with four total.
KNIGHTED
Head coach CJ Werneke and the Scarlet Knights have selected senior setter Talia Holze and sophomore libero Karysa Swackenberg as captains of the 2017 squad. Holze is now a two-time captain.
B1G CHALLENGE
When the Scarlet Knights enter Big Ten play next week, a gauntlet of nationally ranked talent awaits. The preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 rankings included eight programs from the Big Ten, including four in the Top 10. Currently, Big Ten teams occupy the top two spots in the country, and still have four in the Top 10.
Ranked programs include No. 1 Minnesota (with 40 first place votes), No. 2 Penn State (with 14 first place votes), No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 15 Purdue, No. 21 Michigan, No. 23 Michigan State and No. 25 Ohio State. Illinois sits just outside the Top 25 with 25 points. Rutgers will host Nebraska, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Penn State this season in the College Ave. Gym.
Follow Rutgers Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram (@RUvball) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersVolleyball). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics).
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