RALEIGH, N.C. – Rutgers volleyball kicked off the Summit Hospitality Group Open on Thursday afternoon with a sweep of Winthrop to start the season off 3-0 for the second-straight season. The Scarlet Knights flew past the Eagles, 25-20, 25-10, 25-21.













 
   

STANDOUT STATS

• Nine different Scarlet Knights captured a kill as the attack was led by sophomore Taylor Humphrey with nine. 
• Fifth-year senior Alyssa Nayar contributed 21 assists in the victory.
• Rutgers saw some career defensive numbers from redshirt sophomore Alissa Kinkela and sophomore Lexi Visintine. Kinkela collected a career-high six blocks, while Visintine led the Scarlet Knights with a career-high 12 digs.

KEY MOMENTS

• Set 1 (25-20) | Rutgers and Winthrop opened up to an 8-8 tie when the Scarlet Knights rattled off an 11-3 run to go in front for good. The Eagles would get no closer than three points the rest of the set. Taylor Humphrey recorded five of her 12 kills on the day.

 

• Set 2 (25-10) | With the score tied at 9-9, the Scarlet Knights went on a tear outscoring Winthrop 16-1 to close the frame and take a 2-0 lead. RU got kills from six different Scarlet Knights during the burst with the Eagles' lone point coming off a bad set. Winthrop committed 12 errors, including nine on the attack, in the set with only five kills. Rikki Williams, meanwhile, led Rutgers with four kills on six swings.

 

• Set 3 (25-21) | A Rikki Williams swing and a pair of bad sets put Rutgers ahead 11-7 prompting a Winthrop timeout. Out of the break, the Scarlet Knights piled on four more points including an Alissa Kinkela solo block and a pair of kills from Taylor Humphrey for a 16-7 advantage. The Eagles used two bursts to keep the set close. A 6-1 run cut into RU's margin at 17-13 and a late 5-1 run had the Scarlet Knights up by two at 22-20. The Eagles, however, would get no closer. Humphrey added four more kills to her total helping RU hit a match-best .306.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Alissa Kinkela's six blocks surpassed her previous best of five rejections last captured against Iowa on Nov. 4, 2022. Additionally, her two solo stops were a career-best.
• Lexi Visintine reached double-digit digs for the first time in her career with her 12. She bested her previous high of nine set in last year's season opener against Fresno State on Aug. 27, 2022.

UP NEXT

• The Rutgers volleyball team returns to the court on Friday, Sept. 1 against host NC State at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.

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