SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (Sept. 2, 2017) – Rutgers volleyball dropped a pair of contests at the Seton Hall Classic on Saturday. Buffalo (3-2) outlasted the Scarlet Knights (3-3) in a tight five-set opening match before the host Pirates (4-1) downed Rutgers 3-1 to claim its tournament crown in the evening.
 
Freshman Kamila Cieslik was named to the All-Tournament Team, her second such honor in as many tournaments to start her collegiate career. The Rutgers rookie totaled 33 kills throughout the two matches on a .417 hitting percentage, with four aces, 14 digs and eight blocks. Usually playing a right side hitter role, Cieslik stepped up into the middle blocker slot against Seton Hall following an injury in the morning.

Buffalo 3, Rutgers 2

Set 1 (Rutgers 25, Buffalo 10)
Senior outside hitter Meme Fletcher sparked a five-point run with a pair of aces early in the set, which quickly snowballed into a 9-1 run capped by sophomore setter Megan Sharkey's jousting kill for the 13-6 lead. Rutgers never took the foot off the gas, scoring the set's final nine points with kills from Cieslik (3), Fletcher (2) and junior outside hitter Sahbria McLetchie.
 
Set 2 (Buffalo 25, Rutgers 21)
The second stanza was highly contested with 10 tie scores and seven lead changes. Cieslik stamped a five-point run with an ace for the early 9-6 lead before the Bulls' used an 8-1 run of their own to go back ahead. Rutgers went up 20-19 on a Stasa Miljevic kill, but Buffalo scored six of the final seven points to claim the set.
 
Set 3 (Buffalo 25, Rutgers 19)
Cieslik again finished off an early scoring spurt with a kill to give Rutgers an early lead, 7-3. Buffalo battled back on a 6-2 run to take the lead for the first time in set, 10-9. RU couldn't find the rhythm in the middle of the frame, failing to score more than two points in a row for the remainder of the set.
 
Set 4 (Rutgers 25, Buffalo 22)
The fourth game was the closest of the morning with neither side scoring more than two in a row until three straight for Buffalo gave the Bulls a 14-12 advantage. That, however, was short lived as Sharkey served up two straight aces as part of a 6-1 RU run and an 18-15 lead. Cieslik stepped up in crunch time with a back-to-back, kill-ace combo to put the Scarlet Knights up 22-19. Buffalo saved three set points before freshman outside hitter Yana Kamshilina slammed the set-clinching kill.
 
Set 5 (Buffalo 15, Rutgers 9)
The Bulls hit .636 in the do-or-die set, while using a 4-1 start and a 4-0 run shortly after to take a 9-3 lead. McLetchie, Cieslik and sophomore middle blocker Jasmine Stackhouse picked up kills down the stretch, but Buffalo held the lead and closed out the match.
 

Seton Hall 3, Rutgers 1

Set 1 (Rutgers 25, Seton Hall 19)
Miljevic bounced two kills and Fletcher placed an ace on the backline during an early 5-0 run, which spun into a 10-2 stint as Rutgers jumped ahead 14-8. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights held the Pirates to a .033 hitting percentage, and for the second match in a row on Saturday, Rutgers took the opening set.
 
Set 2 (Seton Hall 25, Rutgers 18)
The second frame was ultimately decided by two separate runs by the Pirates, the second of which prompted Rutgers to take its second and final timeout. Seton Hall got an ace right out of the break and scored two more times to cap a 7-0 spurt and take a 21-12 lead. Rutgers' comeback attempt included a three-point run, but SHU's cushion was enough to claim the set.
 
Set 3 (Seton Hall 29, Rutgers 27)
With Seton Hall up 9-7, Rutgers used a 10-4 run to take a 17-15 lead. Cieslik's kill and freshman opposite hitter Beka Kojadinovic's ace padded the two-point lead, which was erased by the Pirates' 5-1 answer. The scoring run stretched to 8-2 before Rutgers saved three straight set points to set up overtime at 24-24. The Scarlet Knights ended up saving six set points in total before the Pirates finally put Rutgers away despite set-saving kills by McLetchie, Kojadinovic and Kamshilina, along with blocks assists from Kojadinovic and Cieslik.
 
Set 4 (Seton Hall 25, Rutgers 18)
SHU took control early on a 4-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. Rutgers battled back with three straight, but the Pirates swung the momentum right back with a 4-0 spurt to take a 14-8 advantage. Heading down the stretch, it was a game of runs won by the Pirates. Rutgers went on two separate three-point stints, which were answered by Seton Hall runs of 4-0 and 5-0 to put the home team up by eight. Rutgers saved one match point before Seton Hall took the match and its tournament crown.
 
Match Notes
• With 13 aces against Buffalo and six more against Seton Hall, the Scarlet Knights now have 30 aces in their last three matches.
• Miljevic totaled a career-high seven blocks on three solo stops and four assists in the five-setter against Buffalo.
• McLetchie had her most offensively productive day as a Scarlet Knight with a season-high mark of 17 kills, to go with 10 digs for her first double-double of the season against Buffalo. She one-upped herself in the nightcap with 19 kills.
• Sharkey turned in a trio of new career-highs in the Buffalo match with four kills, four aces and 43 assists. She later increased her career best in assists with 45 against Seton Hall.
• RU is now 0-3 in matches that have gone the distance since their last five-set win against Maryland in 2015.
• Making her first start since the season opener, Kojadinovic impressed in the Seton Hall match with her first collegiate double-double on 11 kills and 12 digs, to go with career-best marks of two aces and six blocks.
• Rutgers totaled 9.5 blocks against SHU, a season-high.
 
Up Next
Rutgers continues tournament season at the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroo Klassic on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 8-9, when the Scarlet Knights face Northern Iowa, South Dakota and the host Kangaroos.
 
 
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