NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (May 9, 2019) – Rutgers volleyball has released its 31-match regular season schedule for 2019, which includes 13 games against 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers and 12 contests against programs ranked in the final AVCA Coaches Poll from last season.
 
Thirteen of Rutgers' 20 Big Ten matches will be against last season's NCAA Tournament participants, kicking off with Michigan at the College Ave. Gymnasium on Sept. 25. That conference slate also includes a home-and-home series with 2018 national runner-up Nebraska, a date at Final Four participant Illinois and six other matches against Sweet 16 teams from last fall.
 
"Our non-conference schedule was crafted with many things in mind, the first of which was preparing us physically and mentally for the Big Ten," said head coach CJ Werneke. "We aim to replicate travel and rest schedules, we want to be challenged, and we want to put our student-athletes in the best position to win. Every Big Ten team has one of the hardest schedules in the nation because of the depth and talent in the conference, and we're excited to see how we respond to that test."
 
The Scarlet Knights will again host a non-conference tournament at the College Ave. Gym for the second straight year. RU welcomes Ivy League runner-up Princeton, Colonial Athletic Association Tournament runner-up Towson and Virginia to New Brunswick on Sept. 6 and 7.
 
Rutgers opens the season with its first trip to Colorado since 2014, entering the Northern Colorado Invitational on Aug. 30-31. RU's 2019 season opener is set for Aug. 30 against New Mexico, followed by contests against the host Bears on Aug. 30 and Grand Canyon on Aug. 31.
 
RU heads to Hamilton, New York for the Colgate Invitational on Sept. 13-14, facing the host Raiders along with matches against New Hampshire and Quinnipiac.

Werneke reserved the final non-conference weekend on Sept. 20-21 to mirror a Big Ten travel weekend in the Nation's Capital, playing one match per night with short travel in between. The Scarlet Knights visit American on Sept. 20, then travel to two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions Howard on Sept. 21 to conclude non-conference play.
 
The Big Ten Conference, which has been widely regarded as the country's premier volleyball league, boasted seven NCAA Championships participants in 2018. Rutgers opens the first two weeks of the conference schedule with a pair of Wednesday home games against Michigan (Sept. 25) and Nebraska (Oct. 2), along with two straight Saturdays on the road at Penn State (Sept. 28) and at Minnesota (Oct. 5). Additional Big Ten road contests will take place at Michigan State (Oct. 18), Michigan (Oct. 19), Ohio State (Oct. 23), Nebraska (Nov. 1), Iowa (Nov. 2), Northwestern (Nov. 15), Illinois (Nov. 16) and Purdue (Nov. 20).
 
Following Rutgers' two midweeks against Michigan and Nebraska to open Big Ten play at home, the rest of the conference schedule on College Ave. includes Ohio State (Oct. 11), Maryland (Oct. 12), Northwestern (Oct. 26), Purdue (Nov. 8), Indiana (Nov. 9), Penn State (Nov. 23), Minnesota (Nov. 29) and Wisconsin (Nov. 30). The final three games of the season will all be played at home in New Brunswick.
 
The Big Ten will again forego a conference tournament, opting to keep an expanded regular season schedule as teams seek to improve strength of schedule and RPI numbers to aid their bids for an at-large selection to the NCAA Championships.
 
All game times are subject to change, especially games when home Rutgers football games are scheduled. Currently, home matches against Northwestern on Oct. 26 and Penn State on Nov. 23 may be moved depending on time selections for Rutgers football games.
 
If any of the football games are scheduled for a noon kickoff, the Saturday night volleyball games may be played as scheduled. Any other times would require a date change for volleyball. Stay tuned to ScarletKnights.com and @RUvball on Twitter for all schedule updates throughout the season.
 
 
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