Game Recaps
Rutgers volleyball was back in action at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday and Saturday as they battled both Big Ten programs from the state of Illinois. Although both matches were hard-fought, the Scarlet Knights fell in straight sets to each opponent, falling to 10-8 on the season and 1-5 in Big Ten play.
The Northwestern game featured a remarkable 24 ties over the course of the three sets, highlighting the even match between the two sides. In the first set, the Scarlet Knights and Wildcats were tied
nine times, leading up to the score being knotted at 18 following a couple of stops from Rutgers. The two teams then traded the next ten points, with the ‘Cats winning the hard-fought set 25-23.
Rutgers fell behind 8-2 early and 16-8 in the second set, but used a 7-1 rally to cut the deficit to 20-18. The Wildcats had a trio of kills and a couple of blocks at the net to take the set 25-18. The third set was the most competitive, with 13 ties, four lead changes, and seven set point opportunities for each team. Zora Hardison set the Knights up with a set point up 24-22, but the Wildcats rallied to serve for match point up 25-24.
After several chances for each team to put the set away, back-to-back kills from NU’s Ayah Elnady gave the ‘Cats a one-point edge, before a Northwestern block was ruled inbounds, giving them the set and the match. Although it was a disappointing loss, Rutgers was within striking distance for much of the contest and lost by two points in both the first and third sets.
On Saturday night, the story repeated itself against an Illini team that received votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll. In Set 1, Rutgers came back from down seven to tie the score at 17, but Illinois responded with a 4-0 run and carried the momentum into a 25-20 opening set victory. Rutgers and Illinois started the second set tied 6-6, but once again the Illini used a 7-2 run to go up 13-8.
Despite the Scarlet Knights cutting the deficit to three points several times, including being down 23-20, the Illini’s Taylor DeBoer recorded a kill and a block while Kayla Burbage had the other block to seal the set for Illinois. In Set 3, Illinois raced out to an 11-4 lead, but Rutgers fought back by outscoring the Illini 9-4 to cut the lead to 14-13.
Aces from Lexi Visintine and Alleigh Dutton and blocks from Lily Bolen and Natalie Robinson helped Rutgers tie the match at 19. Aspen Maxwell recorded a kill to tie the game at 25, but a service error and a pair of Illini blocks allowed the Illini to take the set 25-23 and sweep the Scarlet Knights.
Viewing Observations
I made my way over to Jersey Mike’s Arena to check out the excitement in person for the Illinois game, and I was not disappointed. The crowd, while not sold out and limited to the lower bowl, provided a solid atmosphere, assisted greatly by the pep band, which would scream out a variety of popular songs to try and distract the Illinois players while entertaining the crowd and playing the typical Rutgers fight songs. The PA announcers played all the same hype music from football and basketball to get the crowd involved in big moments, but it was not enough to guide Rutgers to a set or match win.
I was fortunate enough to sit right behind one of the benches, and each team has several assistant coaches who help with the game-planning. Substitutions are extremely common, as they had players rotating in and out of the lineup at will, which I was very surprised about. The pace of play is extremely quick, and it often becomes a contest of either who can come up with a kill (unreturnable power swing) or who can win at the net.
In the Illinois game, a lot of season-long trends continued, with seniors Lexi Visintine and Tara Garvey recording eight kills each, while sophomore Aspen Maxwell and junior Zora Hardison added seven kills each. Rutgers has forces at the net, with Natalie Robinson connecting on six of nine swings up front while Zora Hardison led the Scarlet Knights with four assisted blocks to surpass the 200-block mark for her career.
On the back line, sophomore setter Lily Bolen had 31 helpers, five digs, and two blocks, often being one of the first Knights to set up the front line for a kill attempt. She is closing in on 1,000 career assists with 915 in just her second season. Starting libero and defensive specialist Alleigh Dutton had seven digs for Rutgers, as she often leads the team in that category.
I was particularly impressed with Dutton’s ability to dive for kill attempts aimed at the ground, and it felt like the Illini were aiming in her vicinity a lot, even though it appeared to me that she would be the player most suited to be able to return a low ball. Although Dutton could not always come up with the save on the ground, her effort was remarkable throughout the contest.
I plan on attending one of the field hockey team’s contests next week against either #1 Northwestern on Friday or #10 Iowa on Sunday, so stay tuned for a similar article following that weekend of action!
Rutgers volleyball will be in College Park this Wednesday when it faces Maryland in a rematch. The game will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network at 7 PM. The Scarlet Knights’ lone Big Ten win came against the Terrapins on October 3rd, with sets of 27-25, 25-17, 20-25, and 25-16. Following that, Rutgers will host #12 Purdue on Letterwinner Day/Homecoming Weekend at 1 PM on Sunday, October 19th. Be sure to check out the volleyball team at least once this season, as the action is intense and the team is much-improved from last year.
To support me and my work, please follow @arnavsarkar100 on X!
