Rutgers volleyball will host No. 12 Purdue on Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, marking its fourth match this season against a ranked opponent. The game, which is part of RNIL/Homecoming Weekend, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Before the match, Rutgers will honor a former long-time Senior Woman Administrator and volleyball sport administrator. Additionally, volleyball alumnae will be recognized between the second and third sets.
Fans attending the game can expect several promotions, including giveaways of magnets, t-shirts, and posters at the marketing table while supplies last. After the match, Scarlet Knights players will be available on the concourse for autographs.
Rutgers returns home after a recent four-set loss to Maryland, where both teams were closely matched with 27 ties and 11 lead changes across the sets. The Scarlet Knights won the first set 26-24 but dropped the next three to Maryland.
Earlier this month, Rutgers recorded its first Big Ten win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Maryland during its conference home opener. That match also set a new school and state attendance record with 8,000 fans at Jersey Mike’s Arena for a game against No. 1 Nebraska.
The Scarlet Knights currently hold a 10-9 overall record and are 1-6 in Big Ten play. In nonconference action, they finished with a 9-3 record, including seven sweeps and a seven-match win streak—their longest since 2012.
Lexi Visintine leads Rutgers in aces per set (0.51), ranking second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally, with 33 aces so far this season. She recently served four aces against Maryland, tying her season high.
Aspen Maxwell has received two all-tournament honors this season and is among conference leaders in total points, kills, and blocks. Lily Bolen is averaging 10.31 assists per set, ranking among the top setters nationally and in the conference.
Zora Hardison leads Rutgers at the net with 73 total blocks, including 23 solo stops, making her the program’s rally-era leader in solo blocks.
Alleigh Dutton has led the team in digs in nearly every match and averages 3.22 digs per set.
Purdue enters Sunday’s match ranked No. 12 nationally with a 14-3 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers are coming off a 3-1 victory over No. 22 Indiana. Kenna Wollard leads Purdue’s offense and ranks among national and conference leaders in kills per set.
The match is part of the inaugural Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge, announced by the Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network (BTN). This challenge features select conference matches throughout October that count toward a team’s challenge record, with each team playing five designated matches during the month.
Several individual milestones are within reach for Rutgers players. Zora Hardison needs two more solo blocks to become the program’s rally-era career leader and is close to entering both career solo block and total block top-10 lists at Rutgers. Lexi Visintine is two aces away from moving into fourth place on Rutgers’ rally-era career list for service aces. Lily Bolen is nearing her 1,000th career assist.
Rutgers recently completed a seven-match winning streak, their longest since 2012, which included six sweeps and several strong individual performances from Maxwell, Hardison, Bolen, and others.
Maxwell was named to all-tournament teams at both the Buffalo Invite and Sacred Heart Invitational earlier this season. Bolen also earned all-tournament recognition at Sacred Heart.
Under head coach Caitlin Schweihofer, now in her fifth season, Rutgers has made progress since joining the Big Ten, setting records for wins and attendance and earning program-firsts such as All-Big Ten honors and victories over ranked opponents.
After Sunday’s match against Purdue, Rutgers will play its next four games on the road before returning home for games against Michigan and Ohio State in early November.
