Rich Graessle

Box Score

Rutgers RU 5-14,5-14 Big Ten

Michigan St. MSU 3-11,3-11 Big Ten

Rutgers RU

5-14,5-14 Big Ten

Final

Apr. 02, 2021

Michigan St. MSU

3-11,3-11 Big Ten

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Rutgers RU	25	18	23	25	16	(3)
Michigan St. MSU	23	25	25	22	14	(2)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | Apr 02

First-Ever Win Over Michigan State Gives Volleyball Most Conference Wins Since 2005

Box Score

Next Match:

at Michigan St.

4/3/2021 | 6:00 PM (ET)

Next Match

Full Schedule

Apr. 03 (Sat) / 6:00 PM (ET)

at Michigan St.

Recap
Roster

EAST LANSING, Mich. – It was another first for the Rutgers volleyball team on Friday night at Jenison Field House. The Scarlet Knights fought back from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth and deciding set against Michigan State to get the 3-2 victory and the first-ever victory over the Spartans.

The win improved Rutgers to 5-14 overall with the Scarlet Knights having won three-straight league matches. The five victories are also the most in conference play since 2005 when the Scarlet Knights went 6-8 in Big East play.

STANDOUT STATS

Rutgers outlasted the Spartans in a match that featured 48 ties and 30 lead changes.
RU served up 14 aces, one better than their last outing against Maryland, to tie the rally-scoring era record in the category.
Four members of the RU squad finished in double figures with two Scarlet Knights collecting double-doubles.
Senior Beka Kojadinovic and junior Anastasiia Maksimova both logged their third consecutive double-doubles . Kojadinovic led RU with 15 kills to go along with 12 digs, while Maksimova recorded 12 kills and 11 digs.
Also in double-figure kills were Kamilia Cieslik with a season-high tying 12 and freshman Tina Grkovic with 11.
Freshman Madyson Chitty posted a career-high 22 digs and served up a trio of aces.
Junior Inna Balyko helped direct the offense to the tune of 48 assists along with a game-high four service aces.
Shea McNamara continued to be the go-to on the block with eight (1 solo, seven assist).

KEY MOMENTS

Set 1 (25-23) | The Scarlet Knights hit a game-best .345, committed only three attack errors and outscored the Spartans 6-2 down the stretch to take the 1-0 lead. An ace from Chitty saw the eighth lead change of the frame and give Rutgers a 23-22 lead they would not relinquish.
Set 2 (18-15) | It was the largest margin of victory in a set by either squad as the Spartans tied up the match hitting .408. The Scarlet Knights went on a 6-0 tear, thanks to three kills from Kojadinovic and back-to-back aces from Chitty, and led 14-10. MSU, however, powered back on a 7-1 run. A swing from Makismova saw Rutgers trail 18-17, but the Spartans closed outscoring the Scarlet Knights 7-1 for the win.
Set 3 (23-25) | Michigan State took a 2-1 lead overcoming a five-point deficit and outscoring RU 10-4 down the stretch. The Scarlet Knights held a 19-15 edge when the home team reclaimed the lead with five unanswered. Although the score swung back in RU's favor off a Spartan serve miscue and another ace from Chitty at 21-20, MSU collected the next three points to stay in front. A McNamara swing kept Rutgers alive down 24-23 but a kill from the Rebecka Poljan gave the Spartans the set.
Set 4 (25-22) | It was another close set but this time it went to the Scarlet Knights thanks in part to five kills on six swings from Grkovic. The frame endured 13 ties and 10 lead changes, the last coming at 20-20, before a Grkovic kill and solo block from McNamara kept Rutgers in front.
Set 5 (16-14) | Neither side led by more than two points in the deciding set. Three-straight points put the Spartans at match point at 14-13, but Rutgers did not waver. Kojadinovic knotted the score at 14-14 with her team-leading 15^th kill of the night and an attack error by the Spartans put Rutgers at match point. The Scarlet Knights took the set and the game on the squad's 14^th ace of the night from the hand of Maksimova.

KNIGHT NOTES

The 14 aces tied for the most by the Scarlet Knights since the rally-scoring era began in 2008. The 14 equals the record set against Coppin State back on Aug. 31, 2018.
Chitty's 22 digs bests her previous high of 19 against No. 10 Purdue on March 19. In the last five contests, the freshman has averaged 15.8 digs per game.
Kojadinovic captured her sixth double-double of the year and 13^th of her career. Maksimova, meanwhile, recorded double-double number four of the 2021 season and ninth career double-figure kills and dig effort.

HIGHLIGHTS