UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Sept. 28, 2019) – Rutgers volleyball (6-7, 0-2) fell in straight sets at No. 5 Penn State (9-2) on Saturday evening in its first Big Ten road match and first of three straight matches against teams currently ranked in the Top 10 of the AVCA Coaches' Poll.
 

STANDOUT STATS

• Junior right side Kamila Cieslik paced the Rutgers attack with seven kills on a .357 attack clip.
• Senior middle Jasmine Stackhouse put up four blocks to go with her six kills.
• Senior libero Karysa Swackenberg led all defenders with 13 digs, and served up Rutgers' lone ace.
• The Scarlet Knights edged Penn State in digs, 35-33.

KEY MOMENTS

• Set 1 | Rutgers held tight early in the opening set with a pair of kills by Cieslik, while a highlight reel sequence kept the Scarlet Knights within one point at 9-8. Following a dig by senior libero Karysa Swackenberg, Penn State attempted to punish the ball as it scooted over the net, only to be met by the waiting hands of Stackhouse for the solo block. The Nittany Lions used a 6-1 run immediately following that play to take control en route to the 25-15 first set victory.

• S1 | Swackenberg's sweet scoop leads to a Stackhouse solo stuff! pic.twitter.com/L5Y7eDD5ns

  — Rutgers Volleyball (@RUvball) September 28, 2019

  
  
• Set 2 | The Scarlet Knights were again game early in a set, with senior middle Stasa Miljevic and junior right side Beka Kojadinovic combining on a block and Swackenberg following it with a service ace for a 5-3 lead. Penn State, however, pulled ahead with runs of 4-0, 4-0 and 5-0, which was enough to survive Rutgers' 6-1 run down the stretch – including three saves of set-point.

• S2 Final: PSU 25, #RUVB 20
  
  Kikta keeps a 6-1 run alive down the stretch with her second career kill ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vZGbXmsRWt

  — Rutgers Volleyball (@RUvball) September 29, 2019

  
  
• Set 3 | Sophomore middle Merle Weidt bounced a pair of kills in the middle of the set, keeping Rutgers within four points for most of the period before a 4-0 PSU spurt handed the home team a 21-13 advantage on their way to the sweep.

• S3 | Marmen & Stackhouse put a roof over the Nittany Lions' heads.
  
  PSU leads 10-8 in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/5ew0KV6Gmx

  — Rutgers Volleyball (@RUvball) September 29, 2019

  
  

KNIGHT NOTES

• After posting eight assists in her collegiate debut, freshman setter Caitlin Kikta set a new career-high with 13. Sophomore setter Inna Balyko had 14 in Rutgers' second match deploying the 6-2.
• Junior outside hitter Yana Kamshilina made her season debut.

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights return home to the College Ave. Gym on Wednesday, Oct. 2 to host No. 2 Nebraska at 7 p.m.
 
 
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