NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Sept. 22, 2017) – Rutgers volleyball dropped the 2017 Big Ten opener against Iowa on Friday evening in straight sets by scores of 25-17, 25-16, 25-14.
 
The Hawkeyes (12-2) are now off to their best start to a season since 1994, and they did it on Friday by winning the hitting game over Rutgers (5-8). Iowa posted a .313 attack percentage compared to the Scarlet Knights' .012 mark.
 
For the 10^th time in 13 games this season, freshman opposite hitter Kamila Cieslik led Rutgers in kills. She recorded nine kills to go with two service aces and six digs. Coming into the contest ranked 50^th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten with 19 aces, the Rutgers rookie has at least one ace in her last 10 matches.
 
Junior outside hitter Sahbria McLetchie bounced seven kills, sophomore setter Megan Sharkey passed out 20 assists with a team-high seven digs, and sophomore middle blocker Jasmine Stackhouse paced the defense with three blocks, including one solo stuff.
 
In Set 1, Iowa's early 3-0 lead was erased when RU strung together four straight points on Cieslik's ace, a solo block from sophomore middle blocker Stasa Miljevic and the ensuing kill from Miljevic. The set saw nine tie scores and four lead changes before Iowa took control late and went up 1-0.
 
Rutgers led early in Set 2 as Stackhouse and sophomore Jillian Duffin combined on a block, but the Hawkeyes quickly took the lead and never relinquished it. With Iowa up 24-12, Rutgers rattled off a 4-0 run with a setter dump from Sharkey and a blast attack from McLetchie to get as close as 24-16 before Iowa closed it out.
 
The Scarlet Knights again had an early lead at 3-2 via back-to-back kills from McLetchie and Cieslik. Iowa later used a 6-0 spurt to go up 17-8 and scored the final three points of the match to win the conference opener in straight sets.
 
Match Notes

• Rutgers' .012 hitting percentage was a season low.
• Sharkey's 20 assists give her 916 in her march toward 1,000 and a spot in the Rutgers' all-time leaderboard. She is chasing No. 10 Jennifer DelGais' 1,082 assists set in 1993 and No. 9 Nicole Bayer's 1,084 recorded from 2011-14.
• RU is now 0-8 when dropping the second set in a match, and 2-4 when matches are decided in straight sets.
• As Iowa out-aced Rutgers 4-2, the Scarlet Knights fall to 0-7 on the season when trailing an opponent in that department.

 
Rutgers returns to the College Ave. Gym on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. for another Big Ten contest against No. 14 Nebraska.
 
 
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