CORALVILLE, Iowa – Rutgers volleyball went ahead with the 2-0 lead at Iowa after 25-20 and 26-24 wins in the first two frames, but the host Hawkeyes avoided the sweep with a 25-16 third set win, forced a deciding set behind a 27-25 fourth set victory and picked up the victory, 15-9, in the fifth set.
 

• Four Scarlet Knights landed in double-figure kills for the first time since 2023 as sophomore Aspen Maxwell led all with 16 kills to go along with five digs and a pair of blocks.
• Junior Zora Hardison picked up a season-high 14 kills, one shy of tying her career mark, in hitting .480 across the five sets. She also moved into a tie for the Rutgers rally-era career solo blocks leader.
• Senior Tara Garvey equaled her season high with 12 kills and swung at a .309 clip.
• Sophomore Natalie Robinson delivered 10 kills with only one error on 21 attempts to hit .429. She also led RU at the net with four blocks.
• Sophomore Lily Bolen surpassed the 1,000^th career assist mark, captured her eighth career double-double and served up a career-high four aces. Bolen put up 44 helpers and 12 digs, marking her second consecutive double-double and sixth of the 2025 campaign.
• Classmate Alleigh Dutton tied her career high in coming up with 17 digs.

• SET 1 (25-20) | Rutgers quickly established the tone and used a 7-2 run to establish a 12-5 advantage. While an Aspen Maxwell swing put RU up 17-11, Iowa rallied behind five consecutive points to pull within a point.  While the hosts narrowed the gap, the Scarlet Knights would not relent closing out the frame outscoring the Hawkeyes 8-3. Tara Garvy, who returned to the starting rotation, led the attack with four kills on seven swings to hit . 429, while as a team, RU hit .400.

• SET 2 (26-24) | It was a gutty, gritty comeback for the Scarlet Knights, who came back from the Hawkeyes serving for set point up 24-21 to take the frame with a 26-24 win. Iowa started off the second frame with an 8-3 lead, but RU punched back with a 9-3 burst. A Tara Garvey solo block capped a string of four straight and pulled the Scarlet Knights within a point at 10-9. While the Hawkeyes stopped the run, RU put away three unanswered with a service ace from Zora Hardison putting the Scarlet Knights in front at 12-11. Eight ties ensued as the Hawkeyes had the opportunity to tie the match serving for set point up 24-21. The Scarlet Knights, however, completed the comeback as RU captured five straight, capped by the tape tickler from Jenna DeLaMater.

• SET 3 (16-25) | The Scarlet Knights were unable to overcome the hosts hitting .591 as they avoided the sweep and never trailed. A Maxwell kill had Rutgers behind 9-7, but the Hawkeyes would grow the lead to as many as 11 late.

• SET 4 (25-27) | It was close early and close late, but in the end it was the Hawkeyes forcing a fifth and deciding set. Altogether, the frame endured 12 ties. Iowa went ahead 15-10, but the Scarlet Knights chipped away to knot the frame at 20-20 on the swing from Maxwell. It was all even again at 23-23 off the ace from Alleigh Dutton, at 24-24 off another Maxwell kill and at 25-25 from the quick hit at the right pin from Zora Hardison before Iowa finished out with the win.

• SET 5 (9-15) | Lily Bolen's fourth ace of the afternoon gave RU the early 3-0 edge, but Iowa came with four straight in return. While the Scalet Knights moved back in front on kills from Lexi Visintine and Natalie Robinson and a Hawkeye attack error to lead 6-4, Iowa rattled off nine straight to take control of the frame.

• Rutgers remains on the road next week with its first meeting with Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, Oct. 31 in the final game of the Discover Volleyball Challenge and will be at Michigan State on Saturday, November 1.
• The Scarlet Knights' next home games will be on Friday, Nov. 7, at Jersey Mike's Arena against Michigan and Sunday, Nov. 9, against Ohio State at the College Ave Gym. Admission is free to the College Ave Gym. Click here to purchase tickets for matches at Jersey Mike's Arena.