Rutgers volleyball made history on Saturday night in front of 863 fans at Jersey Mike’s Arena by earning the program’s first ever ranked win. The Scarlet Knight defeated No. 16 Minnesota in four sets 25-20, 25-22, 14-25, 25-14. It was also the first Big Ten win of the season for head coach Caitlin Schweihofer’s team. RU improved to 9-7 overall and 1-5 in Big Ten play.
After winning just three sets total in its first five Big Ten matches this season, all losses, Rutgers broke through in a major way against the Gophers. It came one night after a four set loss to No. 24 Ohio State.
A balanced attack helped push Rutgers over the top as three players had double-figure kills in the match. Redshirt sophomore Alissa Kinkela had a team high 17 kills and completed a double-double with 13 digs. Freshman Anna Hartman was impressive with a .407 kill percentage, producing 12 kills on 27 attempts while only committing one error. Redshirt sophomore Rikki Williams had 10 kills along with a team high 3 blocks. Fifth year senior Alyssa Nayar had her sixth double-double of the season with a team high 45 assists and 14 digs. Senior Madyson Chitty had a match high 17 digs.
Rutgers held a 55-50 advantage in kills and a 66-57 edge in digs.
This point late in the fourth set was symbolic of the long struggle this program has had over the years. This team has overcome a lot and this win could be a pivotal jumping off point for the program moving forward. This win is a result of years of progress under Schweihofer, who has always embraced the challenge at Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights will next face No. 1 Wisconsin in Madison on Friday, October 13. RU will then play at Illinois on October 15 followed by a rematch at Minnesota on Friday, October 28.
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pj43
October 9, 2023 at 3:56 pm
Yet another nice story unfolding. The women’s programs, overall, have made the statement that they can not only compete but win as well. Add women’s volleyball to the list. Congrats, ladies!