COLUMBUS, Ohio  – The Rutgers women's volleyball team closed out the season series with Ohio State playing the Buckeyes in a tight four-set match in front of the BTN cameras on Wednesday night at the Covelli Center. The Scarlet Knights (6-14, 0-9 Big Ten) dropped the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-18 before leading the entire third set 25-18. The Buckeyes (11-10, 4-5 Big Ten) took the fourth set 25-20 for the win.
 

STANDOUT STATS

• Junior Beka Kojadinovic led RU with nine kills, including a .500 hitting percentage in RU's third set win, along with 10 digs.
• Senior middle Stasa Miljevic led the game with seven block assists.
• Sophomore setter Inna Balyko held direct the offense with 29 assists.
• Senior libero Karysa Swackenberg collected 12 digs and a pair of aces that sealed the third set victory.

KEY MOMENTS

• Set 1 | After going ahead 20-10, the Buckeyes had to fight off a late 7-3 rally by the Scarlet Knights to take the first set, 25-20.
• Set 2 | Rutgers opened with a 3-1 lead before Ohio State went in front with five-straight points. Trailing 18-8, the Scarlet Knights scored six-straight points. RU continued the pressure and outscored the Buckeyes, 9-2, to close the gap to within three, 20-17, before OSU took the set, 25-18.
• Set 3 |Inna Balyko served up a pair of aces to help Rutgers open with the 4-0 edge and grew the advantage to 9-3 before the Buckeyes called time. A 6-0 run by RU capped by the ace from Beka Kojadinovic saw the Scarlet Knights pull ahead 12-3. The Scarlet Knights grew its lead to 19-11 before a Buckeyes surge saw RU holding on to a 21-18 lead. Rutgers denied any more OSU points and Karysa Swackenberg put away the set with back-to-back aces for the 25-18 win.
• Set 4 | The final set opened with three ties and two lead changes before the Buckeyes rattled off four consecutive points to take the lead for good. Ohio State held a 21-14 advantage, which RU managed to whittle down to four. It took OSU five chances at set point before earning the 25-20 victory.  

KNIGHT NOTES

• With her 29 assists, Inna Balyko moved up to eighth all-time in assists past Roxy Calder (2005-08) and currently has 1,663.
• Karysa Swackenberg moved up to fourth on the all-time digs list with 1,194, surpassing Dawn Christjaener (2001-02) and needs just two more to move up the list into third.
• Ohio State's .129 attack percentage was the lowest by a Scarlet Knight Big Ten opponent this season.

 

UP NEXT

The Rutgers women's volleyball team is back home at the College Ave. Gym to host Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m.
 
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