Rutgers volleyball player Lily Bolen reached a milestone on Sunday, recording her 1,000th assist of the season during a match against #19 Minnesota at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The Scarlet Knights faced their seventh nationally ranked opponent this year, but were defeated by the Golden Gophers in straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-16).
Bolen became the fourth Rutgers player in the rally era to achieve 1,000 assists in a single season and now ranks fourth on the program’s rally-era season leaders list with 1,007 assists. Her career total stands at 1,290 assists, also placing her fourth among career leaders for the rally era.
In Sunday’s match, junior Zora Hardison led Rutgers with nine kills and a .312 hitting percentage. Senior Tara Garvey added eight kills. Sophomore Aspen Maxwell and Lexi Visintine each contributed seven kills. Bolen finished just short of a double-double with 27 assists and a team-high nine digs.
Maxwell and freshman Imani Howell led the team in blocks with three each. Sophomore Alleigh Dutton recorded two service aces.
During the first set, both teams started strong offensively. Rutgers hit .323 but Minnesota was more efficient at .520 with only two attack errors. The set saw several ties early before Minnesota pulled away late to secure it.
In the second set, Rutgers opened with a 5-1 lead involving contributions from six different players. Minnesota tied the score at 8-8 before taking control midway through the frame. Despite a late surge from Rutgers that narrowed the gap to two points at 22-20, Minnesota held on for the win.
The third set saw Rutgers take an early lead at 9-6 before Minnesota responded with a six-point run to go ahead. After falling behind by three points at 14-11, Rutgers scored four consecutive points to retake the lead briefly. However, Minnesota closed out the match by winning nine straight points after tying it up at 16.
Rutgers will conclude its season next week by hosting Oregon on Wednesday, November 26 at Jersey Mike’s Arena and playing Washington on Friday, November 28 at College Avenue Gym for Senior Day. Admission to Friday’s game is free.
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