Volleyball Travels To Iowa

Friday, February 19

Iowa City, Iowa

5:00 PM (ET)

Rutgers University

Iowa

Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

Feb 17 | Women's Volleyball

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers volleyball team is back out onto the road to meet on Friday and Saturday at Xtreme Arena. Last season, the Scarlet Knights captured their first Big Ten sweep in their only meeting with the Hawkeyes. First serve is set for 4 p.m. (CT)/5 p.m. (ET) on both days.

GAME DAY INFO

Venue:	Xtreme Arena \| Coralville, Iowa
Game Notes:	Rutgers \| Iowa
Statistics:	Rutgers \| Iowa \| Big Ten
Video:	Friday - BTN Plus \| Saturday - BTN Plus
Live Stats:	Friday - Live Stats \| Saturday - Live Stats
Social Media:	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram

ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

Senior Beka Kojadinovic is coming off her eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and career-high 18 digs in the last contest with No. 4 Nebraska and continues to lead the RU attack at 2.81 k/s. Following the right side on the stat sheet are classmate Kamila Cieslik with 2.33 k/s and junior Anastasiia Maksimova at 2.15 k/s.
Junior Inna Balyko has amassed 200 assists thus far in 2021, averaging 7.69 per set while also leading the Scarlet Knights with seven aces. She had four aces in the 3-1 victory over Indiana back on Jan. 29. Balyko needs 122 more assists to move into sixth on Rutgers' all-time assist leaders list.
Redshirt junior Shealyn McNamara has totaled 25 blocks, averaging 0.93 per set, which included five block assists against No. 4 Nebraska. Earlier this year she registered nine rejections (1 solo, 8 assist) in the 3-1 victory over Indiana. Freshman Tina Grkovic is averaging 0.81 b/s, while offensively she is coming off her first game in double figure kills versus the Cornhuskers.
Also on the defense, freshman libero Madyson Chitty is contributing 2.63 d/s and collected a season-high 16 digs the last time out against No. 4 Nebraska.
Last year against Iowa, Rutgers secured its second Big Ten victory of 2019 and its first-straight set win since joining the league in a 25-23, 25-19, 25-19 win at Hawkeye-Carver Arena. Maksimova, who sealed the victory with kills to end the second and third sets, collected a double-double leading the offense with 10 kills and was one of four Scarlet Knights in double figure digs with 13.

SCOUTING IOWA

The Hawkeyes welcome the Scarlet Knights with an identical 1-7 mark. Iowa's lone win on the season was also a 3-1 victory over Indiana.
Junior Courtney Buzzerio leads Iowa with 2.24 k/s and is second on the team in assists at 4.03 per set. Junior Hannah Clayton is second on the squad on the attack at 2.03 k/s.
Freshman Bailey Ortega, meanwhile, is averaging 5.00 a/s.
On defense, sophomore Joslyn Boyer is getting 3.83 d/s to rank eighth in the conference and at the net sophomore Blythe Rients is logging 1.07 b/s.

NOTES FROM THE NEBRASKA SERIES

Rutgers dropped two to No. 4 Nebraska, however, the series the first-ever set win over the Cornhuskers and one of the closest match between the two squads.
Friday's contest – a 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 setback - was the closest match since their first Big Ten battle back on October 31, 2014 with then-No. 14 Nebraska taking a 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 win. The contest totaled 14 tie scores and nine lead changes in the three sets with Cieslik swinging for 10 kills and Kojadinovic with nine kills and only one attack error.
On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights took the first set 25-22 before Cornhuskers came back to win in four taking the next three sets - 25-14, 25-14, 25-20. Rutgers toaled 66 digs, the second most a Scarlet Knight squad in a Big Ten matchup. Four Scarlet Knights were in double-figure digs. In addition to Kojadinovic's career-high 18 and Chitty's season-high 16, Cieslik and Maksimova both had 11.

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights return to the College Ave Gym to host Ohio State, a team receiving votes in the AVCA Poll, on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. Both games are slated for first serve at 5 p.m. Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, there will be no admission to home games.

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