KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Sept. 8, 2017) – Rutgers volleyball dropped a pair of matches to begin the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroo Klassic on Friday, falling to Northern Iowa and host UMKC in straight sets.
 
The Scarlet Knights see their record drop to 3-5. Northern Iowa, who received 60 points in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll, improved to 6-2 while UMKC upped its overall mark to 3-5.
 
Junior outside hitter Sahbria McLetchie paced the RU offense throughout the Friday doubleheader, totaling 19 kills to go with nine digs and a block. Freshman opposite hitter Kamila Cieslik posted a team-high 11 kills in the nightcap against UMKC, and freshman outside hitter Yana Kamshilina was second behind McLetchie with seven kills against UNI.
 
The nationally recognized Panthers of UNI outhit Rutgers .319 to .073, and used a 10-0 run in the first game to set the tone for what became a straight-set victory.
 
The Scarlet Knights were attacked again against the host Roos, who hit .326 compared to Rutgers' 143. RU used a 6-0 spurt in the opening set to take a 10-9 lead before surrendering four straight and failing to regain an advantage. Three Cieslik kills opened the second set on a 4-1 run, but UMKC scored two points for every RU point down the stretch to go up 2-0. The Scarlet Knights' largest lead of the day was at 8-5 in the third set, capped by a kill from sophomore middle blocker Stasa Miljevic and a service ace from Kamshilina.
 
Match Notes

• Senior setter Talia Holze turned in a season-high eight assists against UMKC.
• Saturday's losses mark the first two straight-set setbacks of the season for Rutgers.
• With five blocks on Saturday, Miljevic maintains her team-lead in stuffs with 31 total on the season.
• Rutgers was down two starters against UNI with Jasmine Stackhouse and Meme Fletcher recovering from injuries. Beka Kojadinovic was also sidelined for the day with an injury.
• Freshman outside hitter Claire Jackson made her collegiate debut with two sets played against UMKC.

 
 
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