PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Redshirt junior Alissa Kinkela set the Rutgers school record for kills in a match, but it was the Iowa Hawkeyes getting past Scarlet Knight volleyball in five sets in the Big Ten opener Thursday night at Jersey Mike's Arena.
RU took the opening set 25-22 while Iowa came back for a 25-23 set two win and went up 2-1 behind a 30-28 set three victory. The Scarlet Knights forced a deciding frame coming back with a 25-19 in set four. The Hawkeyes, however, prevailed in the fifth taking the match with a 15-9 win.
- Alissa Kinkela set a host of records with her 29 kills. She surpasses her previous career high of 21 set against Michigan State on 11/23/22. She bested the Rutgers Big Ten record for kills in a match exceeding the previous mark of 25 set by Meme Fletcher versus Maryland on 10/21/15. She then collected the Rutgers rally-era kills in a match record passing the previous record of 27 registered by Fletcher versus Long Beach State on 9/5/15.
- Kinkela, who hit .429 against the Hawkeyes, also collected 10 digs for her second double-double of the season and ninth of her career. She also tied her season-high with four blocks.
- Junior Lexi Visintine also captured her second double-double of the year behind 10 kills and 11 digs.
- Rutgers last had two Scarlet Knights with double-doubles in match last season at Iowa with Kinkela dropping in 19 kills and 11 digs back on Oct. 27.
- Junior Aly Borellis recorded a season-high 32 assists aided by a career-high 15 from sophomore Georgia Lee.
- Sophomore Kenzie Dyrstad set a new career high reaching the 20-dig mark.
- Freshman Natalie Robinson reached the double-figure block mark for the first time in her career with 10 stops. It marked the third-most blocks by a Scarlet Knight in a Big Ten match and the most in a rally-era match.
- SET 1 (25-22) | Iowa called a timeout with Rutgers on a 5-0 run, but out of the break Aly Borellis made it six straight for the Scarlet Knights for a 13-7 lead. The Hawkeyes pulled within a pair, but the visitors would call another timeout as RU responded with the next four points including a pair of swings from Alissa Kinkela for an 18-12 edge. Kinkela finished the opening frame with five kills on eight swings to hit .625.
- SET 2 (23-25) | It was five consecutive points for RU to start and another 5-0 run for the Scarlet Knights to jump out to a 12-5 advantage. One of Kinkela's six kills gave Rutgers its largest lead at 14-6. The Hawkeyes rattled off its own 5-0 burst on its way to a 7-2 run to pull within a point at 15-14. The stanza remained close as Iowa knotted the score three times before taking its first lead of the set at 23-22 enroute to tying up the match. Kinkela continued her hot hitting swinging .500 with six kills on 12 attempts. Kenzie Dyrstad added seven digs to enter the break in double figures with 11.
- SET 3 (28-30) | There were nine ties down the stretch before the Hawkeyes eked out the set on a tape tickler. Neither side held more than a two-point advantage until Iowa's Michelle Urquhart served up an ace for a 12-9 Hawkeye edge. Iowa held a 15-13 lead at the break, but back-to-back Hawkeye errors made it 15 all. While the visitors led 19-16, Rutgers produced eight of the next 12 points with a kill by Kinkela to tie the frame at 20-20, 21-21 and again at 23-23. Six set points would be played before Urquhart's serve dropped in after hitting the top of the net. Kinkela hit .500 for the frame against with eight kills on 16 swings and headed into the fourth set at a .528 clip.
- SET 4 (25-19) | A 10-3 run by the Scarlet Knights saw RU take the lead and stay in front at 14-11. While the Hawkeyes drew within a point with the Scarlet Knights holding on to a 19-18 lead, RU closed out the set on a 6-1 run including Natalie Robinson's fourth solo block of the night. Kinkela committed her first error of the match but added another seven kills to her stat line heading into the fifth set with 26 kills marking the most kills by a Scarlet Knights in a Big Ten match.
- SET 5 (9-15) | Kinkela collected another record setting a new Scarlet Knight benchmark for kills in a rally-era match, but it was Iowa getting past RU in five. Iowa kicked off the deciding frame leading 8-3. Kinkella notched her 29th kill to bring her squad with three trailing 9-6, but the Hawkeyes rolled off five straight heading into the win.
- Rutgers volleyball travels to Ann Arbor to face Michigan at Cliff Keen Arena on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. The match will air live on BTN with Chris Vosters and Elena Shklya on the call.
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