PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers volleyball pushed across surges across all three sets on Saturday night at Jersey Mike's Arena against Illinois, a team receiving votes in the latest AVCA Top 15 poll. However, it was the Fighting Illini on top 25-20, 25-20, 25-23.

Rutgers fell to 10-8 overall, taking on its third Big Ten team featured in the polls, and 1-5 against the league. Illinois, meanwhile, improved to 10-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play.

• Seniors Lexi Visintine and Tara Garvey paced the attack with eight kills each while sophomore Aspen Maxwell and junior Zora Hardison added seven kills apiece. Natalie Robinson, meanwhile, connected at a .556 clip on the attack with six kills on nine swings with only one miscue.
• Sophomore Lily Bolen connected for 31 helpers, five digs and a pair of blocks. The Scarlet Knight setter is closing in on reaching her 1,000^th career assist and currently sits at 915.
• Classmate Alleigh Dutton notched seven digs for the defense.
• Hardison led RU with four assisted blocks to surpass the 200-career block mark. With her 203 career blocks, she is now four blocks away from moving into sole possession of 10^th on the rally-era career leaders list, passing Stasa Miljevic (2017-19).  

• SET 1 (20-25) | The Scarlet Knights overcame a seven-point deficit and were tied with the Fighting Illini at 17-17 before the visitors pulled ahead for the win. An Illinois miscue gave RU a 7-6 edge, but the Fighting Illinois notched the next eight points to go ahead 14-7. Rutgers, however, came back with six unanswered, including two Tara Garvey swings, and trailed, 14-13. Lexi Visintine kills knotted the frame up at 16-16 and 17-17, but Illinois responded with a 4-0 run and outscored RU 8-3 down the stretch.

• SET 2 (20-25) | Zora Hardison came swinging as the two squads were even at 6-6, but Illinois used a 7-2 run to establish a 13-8 advantage and a lead it would not relinquish. On four occasions, RU was able to reduce its deficit to a trio. A pair Fighting Illini attack errors had the Scarlet Knights down 13-10 and 17-14, an ace from Lauren Wilcock saw Rutgers trail 19-16 and a trio of errors saw RU in the match behind 23-20. Illinois, however, put away the frame on a kill on one of Taylor de Boer's match-high 16 kills and blocks from de Boer and Burbage.

• SET 3 (23-25) | While the Fighting Illini opened with an 11-4 run, the Scarlet Knights countered by outscoring Illinois 9-4 and climbed back into the game down by one at 14-13. The burst saw aces from Visintine and Alleigh Dutton. Illinois stayed in front and led 19-16 when a kill from Hardison, blocks from Lily Bolen and Robinson and an attack from Robinson tied the set up at 19-19. Both squads traded the next nine points, resulting in four more ties. A rocket from the right side by Maxwell saw the match tied for the final time at 23 all before a service error and blocks by Alyssa Aguayo and Burbage gave Illinois the match.
   

• Rutgers volleyball wraps up the season series with Maryland in College Park on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. The match will air on BTN with Jason Knapp & Mac Podraza on the call. It will be RU's third game of the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge, entering with a 1-1 record in challenge play.
• The Scarlet Knights are back home at Jersey Mike's Arena on Sunday, Oct. 19 to host #12 Purdue on Letterwinner Day/Homecoming Weekend at 1 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.