DENTON, Texas – Rutgers volleyball went to four sets with Miami, a squad receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll, in its 2024 opener on Friday evening at the Super Pit at the UNT Invitational.
The Scarlet Knights and Hurricanes battled through 14 ties in the opening frame with Miami ultimately coming out on top, 28-26, followed by RU tying up the match with a 25-23 victory in set two in another tightly contested frame. The Hurricanes, however, took the victory behind a 25-19 set three win and a 25-10 win in set four.
- Returning Second Team All-Big Ten attacker Alissa Kinkela opened the season leading RU with 12 kills, two aces and a pair of blocks.
- Natalie Robinson made her Scarlet Knight debut with eight kills hitting .538 and a game-high four blocks. The rookie Scarlet Knight made only one error on 13 swings.
- Anna Hartman's sophomore season began with eight kills on 10 swings through the evening's first two sets.
- Aly Borellis, a junior transfer from Ole Miss, collected 16 assists, while Lily Bolen registered 15 helpers to accompany a trio of aces.
- Sophomore Kenzie Dyrstad racked up a game-high 12 digs.
- SET 1 (26-28) | Rutgers outscored Miami 8-1 to go in front 17-12. The run was capped by a tape tickler on Lily Bolen's first career ace ending a string of five consecutive Scarlet Knight points. Miami responded with six of the next eight points and knotted the opener up at 21 all. Three ties ensued down the stretch before the Hurricanes put the frame away. One of Alissa Kinkela's five kills in the set and a Miami attack error put RU at set point at 24-22, but a pair of Grace Lopez kills kept Miami in the stanza. An Aly Borellis swing equaled the score at 25-25 and another Hurricane miscue kept the opener going at a 26-26 stalemate. Miami took the set on back-to-back kills from Lopez and Flormarie Heredia Colon.
- SET 2 (25-23) | It was another back-and-forth battle in set two with the Scarlet Knights coming out on top to tie the match up at 1-1. Altogether the set endured 13 ties and six lead changes. With the U out in front 17-16, the Scarlet Knights rattled off the next four points including swings by Avery Jesewitz, Anna Hartman and Lexi Visintine. It would be a lead RU would not relinquish. Two Hartman kills put RU up at 23-21, but Miami came back to tie the score on a kill and ace from Lopez. Lopez misfired on her next serve, but Kinkela did not as her service ace clinched the Scarlet Knight win. Rutgers hit .440 in the victory with Hartman leading the way behind six kills on eight swings.
- SET 3 (19-25) | Miami went in front 2-1 leading all the way in set three. While the Hurricanes went out to a 9-1 lead, the Scarlet Knights cut their deficit down to three. A 6-2 run capped by Kinkela's second ace of the night saw RU down 12-9. Miami came back with a 6-1 surge to enlarge its advantage.
- SET 4 (10-25) | Zora Hardison and Anna Hartman would team up at the next as the duo's block had Rutgers trail 10-7. From there, however, Miami controlled the final frame. The Hurricanes hit a match-best .538.
- Action at the UNT Invitational continues on Saturday with Rutgers meeting up with the host North Texas Mean Green at 7 p.m. (ET) on ESPN +.
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