Rutgers volleyball was defeated by Illinois in straight sets on Saturday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The Fighting Illini, who are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Top 15 poll, won by scores of 25-20, 25-20, and 25-23.
With this loss, Rutgers’ overall record dropped to 10-8 and their Big Ten conference record fell to 1-5. Illinois improved to 10-5 overall and holds a 5-1 mark in conference play.
Seniors Lexi Visintine and Tara Garvey led Rutgers with eight kills each. Sophomore Aspen Maxwell and junior Zora Hardison contributed seven kills apiece. Natalie Robinson had an efficient performance with six kills on nine attempts and only one error, hitting .556 for the match.
Sophomore setter Lily Bolen recorded 31 assists, five digs, and two blocks. She is approaching a career milestone with 915 assists, just short of reaching the 1,000 mark. Defensive efforts were highlighted by Alleigh Dutton’s seven digs. Hardison also made an impact at the net with four assisted blocks, bringing her career total to 203—four shy of moving into tenth place on Rutgers’ rally-era career leaders list.
In the first set, Rutgers overcame a seven-point deficit to tie the score at 17 before Illinois pulled away with an eight-to-three run to secure the set. The second set saw both teams even early before Illinois used a mid-set run to establish a lead they would not relinquish. In the third set, Rutgers narrowed an early gap but could not overtake Illinois down the stretch.
Rutgers will next face Maryland in College Park on Wednesday, October 15 at 7 p.m., as part of the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. The match will be broadcast on BTN with Jason Knapp and Mac Podraza providing commentary. Following that contest, Rutgers returns home to host #12 Purdue at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Sunday, October 19 for Letterwinner Day/Homecoming Weekend.
