Volleyball Splits Opening Day At Rambler Challenge

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Rutgers volleyball team split its opening day at the Rambler Challenge hosted by Loyola Chicago on Friday.

The Scarlet Knights were in each set in the opener against Kansas State but fell 26-28, 19-25, 25-22. Later in the evening, however, Rutgers bounced back with a sweep of its own topping St. Thomas 26-24, 25-22, 26-24.

Kansas State 3, Rutgers 0

 

• Set 1 (26-28) | Rutgers had a chance to take the opening frame at set point ahead 26-25, but Kansas State came back with the next three points to go up 1-0. The Wildcats took their largest lead at 21-18 when the Scarlet Knights went on to outscore the opposition 8-4 and thwart two set point opportunities. A service error by Kansas State and blocks from the hands of Kristina Grkovic and Taylor Humphrey gave Rutgers a chance to close out the first frame with RU up 26-25. The Wildcats, however, notched the next three points for the win. Humphrey led with six kills while Grkovic and Lauren DeLo teamed up for seven blocks.
• Set 2  (19-25) | The Scarlet Knights overcame a five-point deficit to narrow the gap down to a pair of points at 18-16 and 20-18, both times on swings by Alissa Kinkela. The Wildcats, however, outscored the Scarlet Knights 5-1 down the stretch. Humphrey and Kinkela each had four kills in the set.
• Set 3 (22-25) | A 4-1 Rutgers run gave the…