PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers volleyball went to five sets in the series finale with Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena.

The Scarlet Knights took sets one and three with 25-17 and 25-22 scores, while the Fighting Illini reversed the scores in sets two and four and emerging with a 15-11 win in the fifth frame.

Rutgers, who battled Illinois to its second fifth-set match at Jersey Mike's Arena in the series history, fell to 9-11 overall and 1-9 in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini, playing in back-to-back five-set victories, improved to 10-10 overall and 5-5 in league action.

• Three Scarlet Knights racked up double-figure kills with senior Kristina Grkovic and redshirt sophomore Alissa Kinkela leading the way with 14 each. Grkovic swung a match-high .400. Sophomore Taylor Humphrey, meanwhile, added 11.
• Kinkela also logged 11 digs, one of three Scarlet Knights in double-digit digs, for her fourth double-double of th year.
• Fifth-year senior Alyssa Nayar captured her eighth double-double of the year and 29th career double-digit assist and digs match. She racked up 45 helpers and 17 digits.
• Humphrey also led the block with four total stops, including a career-high tying two solo blocks. Redshirt sophomore Rikki Williams and freshman Anna Hartman logged three stops each with Hartman collecting the first two solo rejections of her career.
• Senior Madyson Chitty was also in double-figure digs tying her career-high with 22. She also moved up to seventh all-time and third in rally-era career digs with 1147 over her four seasons "On The Banks".
• Rutgers led Illinois at the service line, 9-8, with the Scarlet Knights serving up the most aces since their five-set nonconference finale with Princeton back on September 15. Freshman Kenzie Dyrstad recorded a trio of aces, the most of her young Scarlet Knight career.

• Set 1 (25-17) | Rutgers returned home from a three-match road trip to take the opening frame. An Anna Hartman solo block capped a 7-0 run that put RU ahead for good at 12-6. Kristina Grkovic hit .800 for the set with four kills on five swings with Alissa Kinkela also coming up with four kills. Madyson Chitty came up with seven digs moving her up the all-time and rally-era career lists. The Scarlet Knights led by as many as eight while the Illini hit just .075 and pulled no closer than five following the Rutgers run.

• Set 2 (17-25) | The score was reversed in the next set. One of Anna Hartman's trio of kills put RU in front 15-12, but the Fighting Illini responded with eight unanswered to take the lead and finished the stanza hitting .333. Taylor Humphrey posted four points off nine swings to hit .444 for the set.

• Set 3 (25-22) | The set saw ten ties and five lead changes before the Scarlet Knights went up 2-1. Illinois led 21-18 when Rutgers scored five unanswered. Rikki Williams and Taylor Humphrey teamed up at the end to cap the run giving the Scarlet Knights a 23-21 edge with Williams closing out the set with her first kill in her return to the court. Alissa Kinkela and Kristina Grkovic combined to collect nine of RU's 14 kills while Kenzie Dyrstad and Bekah Williams each had an ace.

• Set 4 (22-25) | The score was reversed again with the Illini coming back to force a fifth set. Rutgers claimed the first five points, thanks in part to a pair of aces from Kenzie Dyrstad, and played out to a 13-9 advantage. Illinois chipped away outscoring RU 8-2 to claim a 17-15 lead. With the visitors in front 19-16, Rutgers rattled off the next four points to change the lead for a third time. Kills from Kristina Grkovic and Alissa Kinkela along with a solo stop by Taylor Humphrey helped propel Rutgers to go ahead 20-19. The Fighting Illini, however, logged four of their own to follow with both teams trading points before Illinois tied the match up at 2-2.

• Set 4 (11-15) | Illinois took the deciding set's first four points and never trailed. With the Fighting Illini out to a 13-6 advantage, Rutgers outscored its guests 5-1. A pair of kills and a solo block from the hands of Taylor Humphrey helped reduce RU's deficit to three, but Illinios' Raina Terry, who finished with a match-high 21 kills put away the match for her squad.
   

• Rutgers volleyball closes out the month of October with matches at Iowa on Friday, Oct. 27 and at No. 2 Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 28.
• The Scarlet Knights will return home the following weekend to host Indiana, who is receiving votes in the top 25, on Friday, November 3 and the league-leading Cornhuskers on Sunday, November 5. Admission is free and doors will open one hour prior to competition.