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A Recap As Rutgers Volleyball Sets Off For Their First Conference Road Trip

Rutgers Women's Volleyball is in full swing as they enter their second weekend of conference play. Right out of the gate, Rutgers' abilities were tested with two teams on the national list of top 25 heading to the RAC for competition. The Scarlet Knights dropped their Big Ten opener against No.20 Penn State and No.2 Wisconsin, but managed to stay hungry and positive in light of the disapointment by preparing for their future games.

Recap

Rutgers versus Penn State ended in a 3-0 (10-25, 12-25, 20-25) victory for the Nittony Lions on the Scarlet Knights' home turf. Penn State was excelling in the first two sets due to their intensity which led to outstanding blocks, digs and kills that, both times, set themselves up for an early start. The Nittony Lions fearlessly capitalized on their forward position and further proceeded to win the first two sets, (10-25) and (12-25).

The Scarlet Knights remained gritty, bringing themselves to a 5-4 advantage; was their first lead of the game. Both teams fight for the points and do not get rattled when lenghty, point-runs took place. Rutgeers forced Penn State to pull ahead with great play on defense to allow their hitters a chance to sneak back into the point and cease offensive opportunities, thus closing off the third set with well-earned kills.

Following, Rutgers met Wisconsin with the potential to upset one of the best teams in the country. The two teams approached the beginning of the game with fierce swinging and fiery hearts. In the first set, Rutgers fought for a close lead and held their position as points were traded back and forth with intentional play. Suddenly, the Badgers break away and go on an impressive 7-1 run, collecting points to tip the score in their favor. Rutgers falls short with a first set score of (18-25).

The second set panned out around the same as the first. The teams experienced six ties before the Badgers owned the situation and closed the set out with a score of (16-25), accompanied by shots that were unreturnable. The third set was no different at the start, but the Scarlet Knights used a determined attitude to their advantage, coming back to tie the score at 16-16. The crowd is errupting as both teams establish their dominance through willful points. Rutgers finds a way to rally for a lead of 21-20, but misfires and allows the Badgers to dominate the last five points of the set, which concluded the game.

Spotlight

Senior, Inna Balyko collects her 3,000th career assist against Wisconsin. She has become Rutgers Volleyball's First All- Big Ten Recipient. Keep updated as Balyko continues to hit new milestones and helps grow her team's ability through her skill, trust in her teammates, and willingness to be selfless on the court.

Coming Soon For Rutgers Volleyball

Up next, the Scarlet Knights will be traveling to compete against Northwestern on Friday, October 1 at 8 pm and No.4 Purdue on Saturday, October 2 at 7 pm.

You can watch and support your Scarlet Knights by tuning into streaming on the Big Ten Network.