PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers volleyball is heading across the country to Los Angeles, California, to meet up with #17 USC on Friday, Nov. 14, and with UCLA, a squad receiving votes, on Saturday, Nov. 15. Both matches will serve up action beginning at 10 p.m. (ET).
- Rutgers is looking to bounce back after a pair of home five-set setbacks against Michigan, a team receiving votes, and Ohio State last week.
- The Scarlet Knights continue to lead the conference in aces with 173 served up by the squad this season and averaging 1.88 per set to rank 23rd nationally in the category. Lexi Visintine continues to lead RU at the line and enters the weekend at the top of the Big Ten with 41 and averaging 0.45 per set to rank 32nd nationally in the category. Visintine became RU's rally-era season leader two weeks ago at Michigan State. Additionally, the senior outside has been leading the way on the attack with double-figure kills in each of the last four matches, including a career-high 19 kills in back-to-back contests with Michigan and Ohio State last weekend.
- Aspen Maxwell, who has picked up two all-tournament nods this nonconference season, including being named the Sacred Heart Invite MVP, is seventh in the league in total points (391.0), sixth in total kills (327), seventh in points per set (4.25) and 11th in kills per set (3.55).
- Lily Bolen is adding 10.08 assists per frame and is fifth among Big Ten setters in the category. She has collected eight double-doubles this season in matches including both games last weekend with 50 assists and 10 digs against Michigan and a career-high 55 helpers and 12 digs versus Ohio State. Bolen also surpassed the 1,000-career assist mark back on Oct. 26 at Iowa and is nearing the 1,000 season assist mark.
- Zora Hardison leads RU with the stops at the net with 96 total blocks, including 25 solo stops. She is the Rutgers rally-era career and season leader in solo blocks. She surpassed the 200-career total block total in early October.
- Alleigh Dutton has led RU in digs in all but one match to date and averages 3.37 per set. At Iowa back on Oct. 26, Dutton tied her career high for a third time this year with 17 digs and also added a career-high eight helpers.
- The Trojans, ranked at #17 in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll, meet the Scarlet Knights riding an eight-game win streak with a 19-5 overall mark and 10-4 record in conference play. USC's last loss was at UCLA back on Oct. 11. Last week, the Trojans picked up 3-1 victories at home versus Northwestern and at Washington.
- Leading the attack is London Wijay at 3.47k k/s with Reese Messer directing the offense with a league-leading and fifth-national average of 10.83 a/s. At the line, Abigail Mullen has registered a team-leading 38 aces and ranks third in the Big Ten in aces per set.
- At the net, USC leads the league in total blocks as Leah Ford leads the way with 79 total stops, followed by Mullen with 70 denials. Ford is third in the Big Ten in the category. Taylor Deckert, meanwhile, is coming up with 3.31 d/s
- The Bruins continue to receive votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll and enter the week at 14-10 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten action. UCLA will meet #1 Nebraska before welcoming the Scarlet Knights. The Bruins have swung back and forth between the win and loss columns over the course of the last nine games with a 3-1 loss at Oregon and a five-set home win over Northwestern last weekend.
- Offensively, UCLA will look to Cheridyn Leverette at 3.69 k/s with the attack set up by Kate Duffey at 9.61 a/s with Zayna Meyer also adding 5.85 helpers per frame. On the serve, Duffey also leads the Bruins with 23 aces.
- The Bruins' defense goes through Marianna Singletary at 1.28 blocks per set, having totaled 106 stops on the year, while Lola Schumacher is coming up with a Big Ten-best 4.29 d/s.
- ALL-TIME CAREER WATCH
- Zora Hardison needs nine more solo blocks to move into a tie for ninth on the all-time block solo leaders list, joining Addie Thiry (2001-04) and Margaret Puccio (1985-87). Hardison currently has 45 career solo blocks.
- RALLY-ERA CAREER WATCH
- Zora Hardison is the rally-era career leader in solo blocks with 45.
- Hardison needs 24 more total blocks to move up into seventh past Alex Jones (2009-12). Hardison currently has 227 career total blocks.
- Hardison needs eight more block assists to move onto the top 10 list and into a tie with Stasa Miljevic (2017-19). She also needs 20 more to move into ninth place past Beka Kojadinovic (2017-21). Hardison currently has 182 career block assists.
- Lexi Visintine needs four more aces to not only move into second past Inna Balyko (2018-21), but will also become only the second Scarlet Knight of the rally era with 100 or more career aces. Additionally, Visintine needs 11 more to take over the top spot from Beka Kojadinovic (2017-21). Visintine currently has 96 career aces
- .Lily Bolen needs 27 more assists to move into fifth past Alyssa Nayar (2022-23) and 76 more helpers to move into fourth, passing Megan Sharkey (2016-17). Bolen currently has 1,209 career assists.
- Bolen is also three aces away from moving into a tie for ninth alongside Hannah Curtis (2008-11). Bolen currently has 65 career aces.
- Natalie Robinson needs two more solo blocks to move up to sixth and pass Inna Balyko (2018-21) and six more to surpass Alex Jones (2009-12) for fifth place on the list. Robinson currently has 25 career solo blocks.
- Robinson also needs 27 more total blocks to join the top 10 and move into a tie for 10th with Beka Kojadinovic (2017-21).
- ALL-TIME SEASON WATCH
- Lexi Visintine needs 10 more aces to join the all-time top 10 moving into a tie with Kerry Cody (1988). Visintine currently has 41 season aces.
- RALLY-ERA SEASON WATCH
- Lexi Visintine's 41 aces on the year are the most by a Scarlet Knight in the rally era.
- Zora Hardison's 25 solo blocks on the year are the most by a Scarlet Knight in the rally era.
- Hardison needs four more total blocks to crack the top 10 and move into a three-way tie for ninth alongside Jasmine Stackhouse (2016) and Eden Frazier (2014). Additionally, with five more total blocks, Hardison will move into a tie for eighth with Mikaela Matthews (2016) and with seven more, move into a tie for seventh with Kristina Grkovic (2022). Hardison currently has 96 total blocks on the year.
- Hardison needs 18 more block assists to move into the top 10 and into a tie with Inna Balyko (2018). Hardison currently has 71 season block assists.
- Lily Bolen needs 31 more assists to surpass Alyssa Nayar for fifth and 71 more to move past Stephanie Zielinks for fourth. Additionally, the sophomore setter is 74 helpers away from becoming the fourth Scarlet Knights of the rally-era to collect 1,000 assists in a season. Bolen currently has 926 assists.
- Bolen is three aces away from moving into fourth past Kamila Cieslik and four aces shy of moving past teammate Lexi Visintine's 2024 mark for third. Bolen currently has 34 season aces.
- Alleigh Dutton needs 50 more digs to move into a tie for 10th with Stephanie Zielinkski (2012). Dutton currently has 301 season digs.
- Aspen Maxwell has racked up 391.0 points behind *** kills and *** assists to rank fifth. She needs 23.5 more points to move into fourth past All-Big Ten selection Alissa Kinkela (2023).
- In Caitlin Schweihofer's first season, played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19, the Scarlet Knights tripled its conference win total en route to capturing numerous program firsts. Among the team's firsts were its first-ever All-Big Ten honoree and Big Ten series sweeps. The Scarlet Knights won their first-ever Big Ten home opener, earned victories over Indiana and Michigan State for the first time in history, captured two series sweeps against Maryland and Michigan State, picked up set victories against No. 4 Nebraska and No. 10 Purdue and pushed No. 19 Ohio State to five sets and match point. RU established new team, season and match records for aces and reset program Big Ten game bests in kills, attempts, attack percentage and assists, as well as individual conference superlatives in attack percentage, assists and digs.
- Returning to fall ball for the 2021 season only three and a half months after the conclusion of the Big Ten-only 2020 season, Rutgers continued to make strides going 8-3 for its best nonconference record since 2012. During the season the Scarlet Knights battled eight Top 25 teams during Big Ten play, a conference that sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament, including the year's national champion. Rutgers captured set wins over No. 8 Purdue and No. 15 Penn State and took Illinois to five sets in front of a national audience on BTN. Inna Balyko wrapped up her career fifth all-time in assists and ninth all-time in block assists, while Kamila Cieslik became the rally era leader in matches played (132) and Beka Kojadinovic concluded her career as the rally era leader in aces.
- More success continued in 2022 as the Scarlet Knights opened the year at 3-0 for the first time since 1998 and battled eight Top 25 teams during Big Ten play and eight teams that advanced to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. During the nonconference schedule, four Scarlet Knights were named to All-Tournament squads, while Rutgers had 11 entries altogether among the rally-era season leaders list.
- Another step up the ladder occurred in 2023 as the Scarlet Knights earned their first-ever All-Big Ten attacker, captured their first-ever top 25 victory, collected the most overall wins and best nonconference record since 2012, improved set wins by 45% over the previous season and set a school record in attendance. RU placed 12 entries into the rally-era individual season top 10 records and 13 entries into the rally-era team top 10 records while collecting the most sets played, kills, assists, assists per set, digs and solo blocks by a team in conference play since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
- Last season, a youthful Scarlet Knight squad continued to rewrite the Rutgers record book, putting up several notable career and season numbers as the Big Ten expanded to the West Coast. On the attack, Alissa Kinkela, the squad's first-ever All-Big Ten attacker from 2023 and an Australian Olympic hopeful, cracked the top 10 all-time in career kills, the second most rally-era career kills and the third most rally-era career kills per set. Following the season, Kinkela signed to play professionally in South Korea. In addition to Kinkela's mark in the record book, Rutgers put nine entries into the rally-era individual season top 10 records, with a new benchmark set for blocks in a rally-era season from rookie Natalie Robinson. Additionally, Robinson leads RU's career blocks per set category after only one season "On The Banks". At the same time, junior Lexi Visintine was just two aces shy of setting a new season standard in the category.
- Rutgers volleyball hits the road on final time in 2025 in traveling to No. 18 Indiana on Thursday, Nov. 20.
- The Scarlet Knights return home for the final three games of the 2025 season, beginning with Minnesota in front of the BTN cameras on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 4:30 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Rutgers women's volleyball on
Facebook,
X and
Instagram.
- RU -
