Volleyball Falls To Vanderbilt, 3-1, In Allstate B1G/SEC Challenge

Wednesday, September 2

Nashville, Tenn.

8:00 PM

Rutgers

3-2,0-0Big Ten

Vanderbilt

4-0,0-0SEC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Rutgers	20	25	23	21	1
Vanderbilt	25	23	25	25	3

Rutgers volleyball huddles against Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium

Photo by: Brett Carlsen

Volleyball Falls To Vanderbilt, 3-1, In Allstate B1G/SEC Challenge

Sep 02 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Rutgers volleyball dropped a 3-1 decision to host Vanderbilt in its second match of the Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium.

After dropping the first set, 25-20, RU came back to even the match with a 25-23 win in set two. Set three proved to be another battle with the Commodores edging the Scarlet Knights 25-23 before finishing out the night with a 25-21 fourth set win.

The loss dropped Rutgers to 3-2 on the year.

Skylar George and Lily Bolen posted RU's first double-doubles of the season.

STANDOUT STATS

A pair of Scarlet Knights logged double-figure kills led by Malia Romes with 14 kills, while Skylar George performed her first Rutgers double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs.
Lily Bolen also collected a double-double, putting up 23 assists and 11 digs. Additionally, with one of RU's three aces, she moved into seventh on the Rutgers rally-era career aces leaders list. To date, Bolen has posted 14 career double-doubles and served up 82 aces in her three seasons.
Also in double-digit digs was Kenzie Dyrstad with a season-high 18.
At the net, Imani Howell registered eight total stops, including tying her career mark with three solo stops.

KEY MOMENTS

SET 1 (20-25) | Vanderbilt rattled off five of six to start off the night, prompting a RU timeout with the hosts leading 8-4. The Scarlet Knights cut their deficit to a pair on four occasions as a Commodore miscue on the attack had RU down 14-12. A 7-1 run pushed Vanderbilt out to a 21-13 advantage. Rutgers narrowed the gap late with four unanswered to kick off a 5-1 run. Skylar George came up with swings for the Scarlet Knights to trail 23-19 and 24-20 before the Commodores took the opening frame. George finished the set with four kills.

SET 2 (25-23) | After nine ties, the Commodores led 15-13, but Rutgers proceeded to score five unanswered and use a 6-1 run for a 19-16 edge and an advantage they would not lose. Imani Howell got RU to set point behind her second solo stop of the set at 24-21. While the Commodores pulled within a point with the next two points, an attack error gave RU the win and evened the match.

SET 3 (23-25) | A closed battle saw 11 ties and six lead changes before Vanderbilt went up 2-1 in the match. An Aspen Maxwell swing put RU up 23-22, but Vanderbilt came back with the set's final three points. Malia Romes hit a blistering .556 with five kills on nine swings and no errors committed as RU hit a match-best .361 as a team.

SET 4 (21-25) | While the Commodores went in front 10-6, the Scarlet Knights pulled with a point on a 4-1 run, thanks in part to a pair of kills from Malia Romes. RU also pulled to within a point following a Commodore service error to trail, 12-11, but from there the hosts went on a 9-3 run to lead 21-14. Four times the Scarlet Knights narrowed the gap to three points, once at 21-18 on a Romes kill, again at 22-19 on a swing from Avery Jesewitz, another time at 23-20 off the block from Romes and Imani Howell and finally at 24-21 off another Jesewitz attack.

UP NEXT

Rutgers volleyball is back at Jersey Mike's Arena for its next four games, starting with the home opener against LIU on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The homestand continues with Stony Brook on Thursday, Sept. 10, Delaware on Friday, Sept. 11 and Rider on Saturday, Sept. 12. Click here for tickets.

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