STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Playing its fourth ranked opponent of the 2021 spring season, Rutgers volleyball fell 3-0 (15-25, 23-25, 19-25) to No. 12 Penn State at Rec Hall on Friday night.
The Scarlet Knights forced Penn State to four attempts at set point in the opening frame, narrowly missed a second set win as the Lady Lions squeaked by on two points and the final set was tied at 11-11 before the home team pulled away.
- Set 1 (15-25) | The Lady Lions had its best hitting percentage of the evening swinging .348 to go up 1-0. The Serbian natives Kojadinovic and Grkovic teamed at the net for a stop to tie the opening stanza up 6-6, but Penn State would go on an 8-2 run to take control. With the Lady Lions serving for match point ahead 24-13, a kill from Kojadinovic and a pair of swings from Cieslik kept PSU at bay until its fourth attempt.
- Set 2 (23-25) | Rutgers kept the momentum going into the second frame which featured 11 ties and six lead changes. The Scarlet Knights scored five unanswered for a 12-10 edge. Penn State used a 6-1 run to push ahead 21-19, but RU punched right back on points from Cieslik and Anastasiia Maksimova. Two Lady Lion errors allowed the Scarlet Knights to pull in front at 23-22, but PSU captured the next three points to go up 2-0.
- Set 3 (19-25) | The Scarlet Knights jumped out a 4-0 advantage but the final frame was knotted up at 11-11. PSU outscored Rutgers, 8-1, to stay in front. It took the Lady Lions three attempts to take match point with a solo block from McNamara and Kojadinovic kill in the way.
- Rutgers plays in primetime on BTN when the Scarlet Knights face No. 12 Penn State for game two on Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. with Evan Stockton and Michelle McMahon on the call.
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