Rutgers volleyball was narrowly defeated by Buffalo in a five-set match at Alumni Arena on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights lost the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-20, but rallied to win the next two sets with identical scores of 25-20. In the deciding fifth set, Rutgers tied the score at 14-14 before Buffalo secured a 16-15 victory.
With this result, Buffalo improved its season record to 2-1, while Rutgers dropped to 1-2 overall.
Sophomore Aspen Maxwell led Rutgers with a career-high and match-best 21 kills for the second consecutive match. She was joined in double figures by junior Zora Hardison and sophomore Natalie Robinson, who each recorded 13 kills. Robinson also posted a .429 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Lily Bolen matched her career high in assists for the second straight contest, finishing with 51. At the service line, six different Scarlet Knights combined for seven aces, including two from graduate student Lauren Wilcock off the bench. On defense, sophomore Alleigh Dutton collected a match-high 16 digs and Hardison contributed two solo blocks.
In the opening set, Buffalo used a strong offensive performance to take control after an early tie at 4-4. The Bulls went on a 7-1 run and hit .550 for the frame. Rutgers trailed by four late but could not close the gap.
The second set saw both teams tied at 10 before Buffalo pulled away with a decisive run and hit .560 for their best mark of the match. Hardison and Maxwell each had three kills in this frame.
Rutgers responded in set three as Maxwell tallied six kills and helped limit Buffalo’s attack to .077. After taking an early lead following back-to-back points from Maxwell, Rutgers maintained its advantage despite several pushes from Buffalo.
The fourth set featured eight ties and five lead changes before Rutgers finished strong with an 8-3 run that included contributions from four different players as well as errors by Buffalo. Maxwell registered seven kills on ten attempts for a .700 hitting percentage as Rutgers posted its best team attack rate of .342.
In the final set, Rutgers overcame a five-point deficit to tie it at nine apiece and again at fourteen before Buffalo closed out the match with consecutive points.
Rutgers will continue non-conference play next weekend in Fairfield, Connecticut against Dartmouth, LIU, and host Sacred Heart.
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