UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Oct. 17, 2018) – Rutgers volleyball scored the most points in its recent history against perennial powerhouse Penn State, but ultimately fell to the No. 4 Nittany Lions in straight sets on Wednesday evening at Rec Hall in a nationally televised match on Big Ten Network.
THE LINE
Penn State (16-3, 7-2)
3, Rutgers (6-16, 0-9)
0 – 25-14, 25-18, 26-24
THEY SAID IT
"I'm really proud of the team's effort tonight against the No. 4 team in the nation, on national television, in a hostile place to play. They showed fight and grit all night. We took another step in the right direction. We'll need to continue to take those steps to grow in this league. Growth leads to wins."
- Head Coach
CJ Werneke
KNIGHT NOTES
- With 56 points scored, Rutgers posted its best offensive output against the seven-time national champions since 25-point rally-scoring began in 2008. The previous high was 48 points scored on Nov. 6, 2015 at Rec Hall.
- Rutgers outblocked Penn State, 7 – 6.5, marking the 15th time this season the Scarlet Knights have won the blocking battle.
- The Scarlet Knights also had slightly more digs than PSU at 38-37, signifying the ninth time this season Rutgers has led in the defensive category.
STANDOUT STATS
- Senior outside hitter Sahbria McLetchie recorded a team-high nine kills to go with eight digs.
- Sophomore right side Beka Kojadinovic posted a well-rounded line with seven kills and team-high marks of 11 digs and three blocks.
- Freshman setter Inna Balyko passed out 28 assists, joining her five digs and a block on the defensive side of the net.
- Freshman middle Merle Weidt had five kills and tied for the team lead with three blocks.
THE MOMENTS
- Set 2 | Weidt had her hand all over a 5-2 run early in the second with a block assist, a kill on the slide and a kill right up the gut for a 5-5 tie score.
- Set 2 | The Scarlet Knights hung with the No. 4 team in the nation midway through the period at 13-13 powered by a 4-2 stint. Kudryashova had two kills before Kojadinovic got a kill and a block assist.
- Set 3 | Rutgers jumped ahead 4-0 as freshman outside hitter Tali Marmen entered the match for the first time. The rookie picked up a solo block and capped the run with a kill.
- Set 3 | Rutgers forced Penn State head coach Russ Rose to take a timeout late in the set following a 3-0 rally with kills from Marmen, McLetchie and Kojadinovic. Out of the break, Balyko and McLetchie hooked up to stretch the run to 4-0. With Penn State up 24-22, the Scarlet Knights saved two match points on a Kojadinovic kill and a PSU hitting error before the Nittany Lions put it away in extra-points.
UP NEXT
Rutgers and Penn State do it again, this time in New Brunswick on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the College Ave. Gym.
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