PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers volleyball used a gritty first-set comeback victory to fuel its 3-1 Big Ten home opening victory over Maryland on Friday night, winning the first game of their Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge lineup.

The Scarlet Knights came back from an 11-point deficit to take the opening set, 27-25, but dropped set two, 17-25. RU, however, never trailed again, taking the victory behind a 25-20 set three win and a 25-16 set four triumph.

The win saw the Scarlet Knights improve to 10-5 overall and 5-0 at home and improve to 1-2 in the Big Ten. The Terps, meanwhile, fell to 7-6 overall and dropped to 0-3 in league action in their third-straight loss.

 

• Two Scarlet Knights landed in double-figure kills as sophomore Aspen Maxwell captured her second double-double of the year with the team-leading 13 kills to go with 10 digs and junior Zora Hardison collected 11 kills on 18 swings with only one error to hit .556 on the night.
• Hardison also became Rutger's rally-era season leader in solo blocks as she surpassed former teammate Kristina Grkovic's record from 2023 with her 22^nd solo rejection. Hardison ended the night with five total blocks.
• Sophomore Lily Bolen was another Scarlet Knights to log a double-double as she performed her fourth of the season and sixth of her career with 42 assists and 10 digs. It was the second time this season RU has had two Scarlet Knights with double-doubles with Maxwell and Bolen with the feat against Liberty back on Aug. 30. Bolen also contributed a career-high three blocks and tied her high in kills with a trio in the victory
• Altogether, four Scarlet Knights recorded double-figure digs for the first time since Oct. 27, 2023 in a five-set win at Iowa. Alleigh Dutton came up with 11 digs, while Maxwell and Bolen joined junior Jenna DeLaMater with 10, a season high.
• Sophomore Natalie Robinson led RU at the net with six total stops and was just shy of a double-double with nine kills. The middle made only one error on 15 attacks to finish the night hitting .533.
• At the line, RU served up nine aces with Maxwell, DeLaMater, Bolen and Dutton all with a pair apiece.

• SET 1 (27-25) | Rutgers engineered a gritty comeback, coming back from Maryland taking the set's first eight points and trailing by as many as 11, to take the frame 27-25. The Terrapins got off to a hot start with the match's first eight points. Maryland only grew its advantage to lead by as many as 11, hitting over .600, while RU was sitting at -.500. Down 15-4, the Scarlet Knight comeback began. RU outscored the visitors 16-5, including a string of six straight to tie the opener at 20-20 on a kill from Hardison. Hardison tied the frame again at 21-21 with a solo block to move into sole possession of the RU rally-era season block record. The Terps were poised to stop the comeback serving for match point at 24-22, but the Scarlet Knights took five of the next six for the victory. Maryland had another chance of taking the set, serving up 25-24, but a miscue on the serve was costly as RU took the frame on a kill from Aspen Maxwell and an attack error by the Terps on the final point.

• SET 2 (17-25) | The second set was even six times. A Lexi Visintine ace had RU up 6-5, but the Terps poured out five-straight to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Scarlet Knights reduced a nine-point deficit down to five late as Hardison and Lily Bolen teamed for a stop for RU to trail 21-16 before Maryland prevailed. The Terps hit a match-best .333 while Rutgers was hampered by nine errors.

• SET 3 (25-20) | An 8-2 run gave RU control of the third frame as the burst put the Scarlet Knights in control at 13-6. A Natalie Robinson kill gave the Scarlet Knights its largest edge of the frame putting RU in front 23-14. The Terps made a run with five unanswered, but the set was finally put away on a hammer from Hardison. Tara Garvey led the attack with five kills on eight swings.

• SET 4 (25-16) | It was all Rutgers from start to finish as the Scarlet Knights swung a match-best .625 with no errors on the attack, putting down 15 kills on 24 attempts. Maxwell led the way with five successful swings. It was a Maxwell ace that capped RU's 8-4 start. The Terps got as close as 13-10, but Rutgers responded with a four of the next five and ended the night outscoring Maryland, 12-6, for the victory.

• Rutgers volleyball is back in action at Jersey Mike's Arena on Saturday, Oct. 4, against No. 1 Nebraska at 7 p.m.
• No general public tickets remain for Saturday's match with the Cornhuskers; however, fans can still purchase tickets through SeatGeek, the official ticket marketplace of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, by clicking here.
• The Rutgers Game Set Match Fun Zone and Beer Garden with free family-friendly games and activities will be open from 5 – 7 p.m. in front of Jersey Mike's Arena. Free food will be available for Rutgers students while supplies last. Food and beverage will also be available for purchase.