Rutgers women’s field hockey is back in action this fall, and the #16 Scarlet Knights have started the season with two opening wins. On Friday, August 29th, Rutgers blew out the visiting Wagner Seahawks 5-1, with Maddie Kidd, Lyla Rehill, Maddie Olshemski, Olivia de Zwann, and Olivia Fraticelli all scoring for the Scarlet Knights.
The Scarlet Knights controlled the play during the game, outshooting Wagner 22-6, including a margin of 19-2 in the first 45 minutes of play. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Emily Nicholls earned her first collegiate victory in her Rutgers debut, making two saves while playing in the first 45 minutes of the contest.
On Sunday, August 31st, Rutgers traveled to Vermont to battle the reigning America East champions. Similar to in football, the Scarlet Knights defeated a conference champion in a close game, this time winning 2-0. Emily Nicholls made eight saves against the Catamounts while Puck Winter and Sophie Kuiper were the goal scorers, both within five minutes in the third quarter.
Winter scored on a penalty shot, while Kuiper buried a shot set up by Olivia Fraticelli across the goal. With the Scarlet Knights up by two goals, the defense locked down, while Nicholls made five of her eight saves to deny Vermont an opportunity for a comeback. Nicholls earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for her stellar play in net, with 11 saves in 105 minutes of action and two shutouts against Wagner and Vermont.
Rutgers women’s volleyball has also returned to the Banks, with the Scarlet Knights opening their season with a three-game meet at the Buffalo Invitational. Rutgers won its opening game against Marist on August 29th, coming back after dropping the first set 22-25. RU won their final three sets convincingly, with scores of 25-16, 25-9, and 25-14 to start the season with a victory. Sophomore Aspen Maxwell and senior Lexi Visintine led the way with double-digit kills, while freshman Natalie Robinson added eight kills and hit .462 for the game.
The Scarlet Knights then faced Liberty on Saturday, August 30th, taking the first two sets 30-28 and 25-15, but falling short in the end with the Flames taking the third through fifth sets by scores of 25-18, 25-16, and 15-12. Missouri transfer Aspen Maxwell secured her first career double-double with a game-high 20 kills and 12 digs, while Lily Bolen had her second straight double-double with a career-high 51 assists and 10 digs. Defensively, sophomore Alleigh Dutton posted a career and game-high 17 digs, while Zora Hardison had seven total blocks and three solo stops at the net.
On Sunday, Rutgers battled Buffalo in what turned out to be another five-set thriller. This time, it was the Scarlet Knights that fell behind, with the hosts seizing the first two sets 25-18 and 25-20. The Knights showed their resolve, forcing a deciding set with identical 25-20 wins in sets three and four. The final set went down to the wire, with Rutgers tying the score at 14, but Buffalo went on to win the next two points to go up 16-14 and secure the five-set victory. The Scarlet Knights dropped to 1-2 on the season, but Aspen Maxwell was named to the Buffalo Invitational All-Tournament Team, averaging 3.93 kills per set and adding nine blocks across 14 sets.
Looking ahead for both programs, Rutgers volleyball will head to Fairfield, Connecticut, for another trio of games. The Scarlet Knights will battle Dartmouth on Friday, host Sacred Heart on Saturday, and Long Island University on Sunday. Rutgers field hockey will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a pair of neutral-site showdowns against ACC opponents, battling the #11 Syracuse Orange on Friday and the #3 Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday.
