Rutgers volleyball will face Maryland on Wednesday, October 15, in College Park, Maryland, for their third game in the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. The match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, with Jason Knapp and Mac Podraza providing commentary. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights recently completed a four-game homestand, which included a 3-0 win over Maryland in their Big Ten home opener on October 3. That match also set a new school and state attendance record, drawing 8,000 fans to Jersey Mike’s Arena for a contest against top-ranked Nebraska. Rutgers currently holds a 10-8 overall record and is 1-5 in conference play, having finished the nonconference portion of its schedule at 9-3, with seven sweeps and a seven-match win streak, the program’s longest since 2012.
Rutgers leads the Big Ten in aces per set (2.08), ranking ninth nationally, with Lexi Visintine contributing 29 aces this season. Visintine is currently fifth in the program’s rally-era career aces list, with 84.
Aspen Maxwell, who has earned two all-tournament honors this season including Sacred Heart Invite MVP, is among the conference leaders in points and kills per set. Lily Bolen is averaging 10.36 assists per set, ranking fourth among Big Ten setters and has recorded four double-doubles this season.
Zora Hardison leads Rutgers in total blocks (72) and solo blocks (23), surpassing the previous rally-era record. Hardison is also nearing the program’s all-time top 10 in career solo blocks and rally-era total blocks.
Alleigh Dutton has led the team in digs in all but one match this season, averaging 3.21 per set.
Maryland enters the match with a 7-9 overall record and is seeking its first conference win after six straight losses in Big Ten play. Since losing to Rutgers earlier this month, Maryland pushed No. 16 Penn State to five sets but lost subsequent matches to Illinois and Wisconsin.
In their previous meeting on October 3, Rutgers came back from an 11-point deficit to take the opening set and went on to win the match 3-1. Aspen Maxwell led with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Zora Hardison added 11 kills and five blocks, becoming the program’s rally-era season leader in solo blocks.
The Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge is a new initiative by the Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network in partnership with Discover, involving all 18 conference teams during October. Each team will play five designated matches, with the winner determined by the most wins across those games.
Several individual milestones are within reach for Rutgers players: Zora Hardison needs two more solo blocks to become the rally-era career leader; Lexi Visintine is six aces away from moving into fourth place on the rally-era career list; Lily Bolen is approaching her 1,000th career assist.
Rutgers’ seven-match win streak earlier this season was its longest since 2012, including six sweeps during that stretch.
Aspen Maxwell was named to all-tournament teams at both the Buffalo Invite and Sacred Heart Invitational, while Lily Bolen was recognized at Sacred Heart as well.
Under head coach Caitlin Schweihofer, Rutgers has seen improvements in both records and individual achievements since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014.
After facing Maryland, Rutgers will return home to host Purdue on Sunday, October 19 at Jersey Mike’s Arena as part of Letterwinner Day and Homecoming Weekend.
