PISCATAWAY, N.J. – It was a home opening sweep for the Rutgers volleyball team, which made its 2025 home debut on Wednesday night with a 25-10, 25-18, 25-14 victory over Rider at Jersey Mike's Arena.

The Scarlet Knights, who have won four straight, upped their mark to 5-2 on the season. Rider, meanwhile, dropped to 1-4 overall.

• Rutgers swung .398, a season best and the fifth best percentage of the rally era, led by sophomore Aspen Maxwell's game-high 12 kills and senior Tara Garvey's 11. Garvey hit a career-best .529.
• Sophomore Lily Bolen directed the attack to 32 assists and added a trio of aces and six digs.
• Junior Zora Hardison led the block, making four total stops, including a pair of solo blocks. The middle also made kills on five of her 10 attacks with no errors.
• Sophomore libero Alleigh Dutton came up with a game-high nine digs.

• SET 1 (25-10) | The Scarlet Knights made quick work of their in-state opponent, kicking off their first appearance "On The Banks," going out to a 12-5 lead. After a trio of points by Rider, RU went back into high gear, outscoring their Jersey opponent 13-2 to close. Rutgers was powered by 14 kills on 26 attacks and committed only two errors in the frame. Lexi Visintine paced the attack behind four kills on five swings to hit .800 for the set and Zora Hardison amassed her four stops.

• SET 2 (25-18) | Set number two was the closest of the three sets, but it was RU in control by ending the frame on a 12-5 run. Knotted for a fifth time at 13-13, a Tara Garvey attack pushed the Scarlet Knights ahead for good. Garvey, Maxwell and Hardison all came up with four kills apiece and Visintine dropped in a pair of late aces.

• SET 3 (25-14) | The match came to a close as the Scarlet Knights led from start to finish in the final set, hitting a match-best .481. RU started off with a 7-1 run and continued rolling, going out to a 12-4 lead. Imani Howell and Mira McCool came off the bench to tag team a stop at the net, extending RU's dominance for a 21-9 advantage. Howell ended the stanza with three total blocks.

• Rutgers volleyball's homestand continues on Thursday, Sept. 11, with St. Francis (PA) and Friday, Sept. 12 against New Hampshire. Both matches serve up action at 6 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena.  Click here to purchase tickets.