Rutgers volleyball won all three games at the Sacred Heart Invite and improved its overall record to 4-2 on the young 2025 season. After falling in back-to-back five-set matches against Liberty and Buffalo, the Scarlet Knights won in straight sets against Dartmouth and Sacred Heart, before defeating Long Island University in four sets.
Rutgers took command in their first game against Dartmouth this past Friday, winning the match in three sets of 25-10, 25-12, and 25-15. Their attack percentage of .348
was the ninth-best of the rally era, while Aspen Maxwell’s 16 kills were tied for the fifth-best performance for a Scarlet Knight in a three-set match. Meanwhile, Rutgers held Dartmouth to a negative hitting percentage of -.034, the first time that had happened since September 13, 2019 against New Hampshire.
Rutgers had their second straight sweep against invite hosts Sacred Heart on Saturday, taking down the Pioneers with sets of 25-18, 25-17, and 25-16. Senior Tara Garvey had a match-high 10 kills and hit .467 on the evening, while Aspen Maxwell had nine kills and five blocks. The Scarlet Knights had seven aces, with three coming from setter Lily Bolen, who also had 26 helpers and eight digs. Sophomore Alleigh Dutton had a game-high 17 digs.
Sunday’s matchup against Long Island was the toughest of the three, but it did not stop Rutgers from getting the victory. The Sharks topped the Scarlet Knights in the opening set 26-24, but Rutgers used a 7-0 run to pull away in the second set 25-13. In the third set, Rutgers scored eleven unanswered points for a 17-5 lead and turned that into a 25-10 victory, while Rutgers closed the match out in a tighter 25-21 decision in the fourth set.
The Scarlet Knights will be in action at Jersey Mike’s Arena this week, with their first home matches of the season taking place at Jersey Mike’s Arena from Wednesday to Friday. Rutgers will host Rider later on Wednesday at Jersey Mike’s Arena, Saint Francis (PA) on Thursday, and New Hampshire on Friday. Each game will start at 6 PM and will air on Big Ten Plus. Fans can see the full schedule and buy tickets for home matches on the Rutgers Athletics website at this link.
