The Rutgers volleyball team opened its 2025 season with a win over Marist, coming back after losing the first set to secure a 22-25, 25-16, 25-9, 25-14 victory at Alumni Arena in Buffalo, New York.
Senior Lexi Visintine led the Scarlet Knights with a game-high 16 kills and a .412 hitting percentage. Sophomore Aspen Maxwell contributed 14 kills. Freshman Natalie Robinson added eight kills and hit .462 for the match.
Sophomore Lily Bolen recorded her third career double-double with 43 assists and 10 digs. The team served up a total of 11 aces, including four from junior transfer Jenna DeLaMater and three from graduate transfer Lauren Wilcock. DeLaMater previously had four aces while playing for Central Arkansas against Illinois State on August 26, 2023.
On defense, Robinson and Maxwell combined for 12 blocks. Robinson finished with eight total blocks (three solo), while Maxwell had four rejections. Alleigh Dutton led the defense with a game-high 12 digs; Bolen also reached double figures in digs.
In the opening set, Rutgers was ahead late but Marist closed out on a five-point run to take it. In the second set, Rutgers responded by hitting .448 as Visintine led with six kills and Tara Garvey added four more. The third set saw Rutgers open on a dominant run and record five service aces; Maxwell had five kills while Robinson posted three blocks. In the fourth set, Rutgers overcame an early deficit by finishing on a strong run that included three aces from DeLaMater.
Rutgers will next face Liberty on Saturday, August 30 at 6 p.m.
