NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The Rutgers women's volleyball team started off the final weekend of regular season play with a 3-0 setback to No. 8 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers took the first two sets, 25-14 and 25-15, while Rutgers kept it close in the third set with the frame tied up at 22-22 before Minnesota wrapped up the game with the 25-22 set victory.
 

STANDOUT STATS

• Sophomores Tali Marmen and Merle Weidt led the Scarlet Knights with eight kills each. For Marmen, it was the most kills since RU's victory at Iowa, while for Weidt it was the most kills since the Scarlet Knight win against Northwestern.
• Marmen, along with senior libero Karysa Swackenberg, each served up a pair of service aces.
• Second-year Scarlet Knight Inna Balyko collected 28 assists marking the 20^th game of the season with 25 or more helpers and also added eight digs on the defensive side.
• Weidt also had a game-high three block assists for the defense.

KEY MOMENTS

• Set 1 (14-25) | Anastasiia Maksimova gave RU an early 5-4 lead, but Minnesota went on a 10-1 run to pull out in front at 14-6. The Scarlet Knights responded with four-consecutive points off kills from three different Scarlet Knights capped by an ace from Karysa Swackenberg to trail 14-10. The Golden Gophers, however, captured five kills and a trio of aces down to the stretch to take the set.   
• Set 2 (15-25) | Rutgers opened the frame with a 5-3 lead, but a 6-0 run from Minnesota put the Golden Gophers in the lead for good. Merle Weidt captured five of her eight kills in set two and teamed with classmate Beka Kojadinovic at the net for a stop with the Scarlet Knights trailing, 21-15.
• Set 3 (22-25) | Rutgers hit .355 and endured five ties, but was unable to get past the nationally-ranked Gophers in the third set.  A kill from Tali Marmen tied the set up at 5-5 before Minnesota took the advantage and worked up a 15-11 lead. Jasmine Stackhouse, who had four kills in the set, had back-to-back swings to cut RU's deficit to one at 16-15. Minnesota, however, opened up another four-point edge at 20-16. Rutgers proceeded to outscore the Golden Gophers, 5-1, with the run capped by a kill from Kojadinovic to tie the set at 21-21. Moments later, Kojadinovic would registered another swing and tie the set up at 22-22, but the Golden Gophers rattled off the final three points for the victory.    

KNIGHT NOTES

• The Golden Gophers marked the ninth match and fourth-straight against a top 25 program. Rutgers was facing its second-straight top ten opponent.
• Rutgers' .355 third set hitting percentage was the best for the Scarlet Knights since hitting .353 against a Michigan squad receiving votes back on Sept. 25 in a 25-23 second set loss.

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights conclude the 2019 season on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the College Avenue Gym against No. 5 Wisconsin. Seniors Stasa Mijevic, Karysa Swackenberg and Jasmine Stackhouse will be honored prior to the matchup with the Badgers.
 
Follow Rutgers women's volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.