STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Rutgers volleyball opened the Big Ten against one of the six top 25 ranked conference squads on Wednesday against No. 15 Penn State at Rec Hall with the Nittany Lions topping the Scarlet Knights in three sets.

RU hit .310 to open the match in a 25-17 setback with PSU taking the second set 25-15 and closing out the evening with a 25-17 win in the third frame.

Rutgers dropped to 8-3 overall on the year while Penn State improved to 7-3.

• Sophomore Taylor Humphrey led the team for the second time this season putting away eight kills.
• Fifth-year senior Alyssa Nayar dropped in 22 assists along with five digs and a pair of blocks.
• Senior Madyson Chitty collected eight digs, while redshirt sophomore Rikki Williams led RU at the net with a trio of blocks.

• Set 1 (17-25) | A solo stop from Kristina Grkovic and one of Bekah William's team-leading five kills of the frame helped the Scarlet Knights to a 7-7 tie. William's third kill of the night kept RU within a point down 11-10 before the Nittany Lions scored four of the next five to pull ahead. Taylor Humphrey added three kills on six swings as Rutgers hit .310 in the set with only two attack errors.

• Set 2 (15-25) | A Rikki Williams attack kept RU close early trailing 7-6 but Penn State kept RU from scoring back-to-back points until late in the frame to grow its advantage. Alissa Kinkela led the attack with a trio of kills.

• Set 3 (17-25) | There were seven early ties before Alyssa Nayar set up Kristina Grkovic with a no-look pass to give RU a 7-6 lead. The Nittany Lions, however, responded with nine unanswered en route to the win. Humphrey added four kills in the final frame.
   

• Rutgers volleyball is home at Jersey Mike's Arena for another top-25 Big Ten matchup. The Scarlet Knights welcome No. 19 Purdue on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. on Letterwinner Day. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights will be on the concourse for post-match for autographs.