NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (October 26, 2016) –The Rutgers women’s volleyball team travels to the Midwest for two top-five matchups, first with a stop at No. 3 Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. ET. The Scarlet Knights then meet No. 4 Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. ET for a season rematch. Both matches will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
RU’S LAST TIME OUT
Rutgers (4-19, 0-10 Big Ten) struggled against No. 11 Michigan State and Maryland in its last two matches, falling to each in three sets. The Scarlet Knights remained competitive with the Terps, falling by the margins of 25-20, 25-19, and 26-24.
Lauren Cloyd led RU in the match against UMD with nine kills, as the Scarlet Knights registered their most total kills against a Big Ten opponent this season. Overall, nine different Scarlet Knights contributed at least one kill in the loss as RU posted its best hitting percentage of the season against a conference foe.
SCOUTING NO. 3 MINNESOTA
Minnesota (15-4, 7-3 Big Ten) split its contests last week with a five-set win over Iowa on Fridaybefore a five-set loss to No. 1 Nebraska on Sunday. The Golden Gophers other two conference losses came at the hands of then-No. 14 Michigan State (3-2) and then-No. 15 Penn State (3-2).
Molly Lohman ranks in the conference top 10 of two statistical categories, including fourth with 1.38 blocks per set and seventh with a .359 hitting percentage. Samantha Seliger-Swenson leads the Big Ten with 11.68 assists per stanza.
Minnesota owns a 3-2 lead in the all-time series between the programs dating back to 1983. Last season, the Gophers ranked 11th in the nation during their match with the Scarlet Knights, earning a sweep.
SCOUTING NO. 4 WISCONSIN
Wisconsin (16-3, 8-2 Big Ten) also split its matches with a three-set loss to No. 1 Nebraska on Fridaybefore a sweep of Iowa on Saturday. The Badgers only other conference loss was to No. 3 Minnesota the week prior.
Leading the hitters is the duo of Haleigh Nelson and Tionna Williams, ranking fifth and sixth in the conference in hitting percentage, respectively. Nelson is hitting a .382 clip to go with 67 service aces. Williams owns a .368 clip while also ranking fifth in the league with 1.33 blocks per set.
UW has been victorious in all five meetings with RU, picking up a sweep of the Scarlet Knights on Oct. 5 of this season.
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News courtesy of Rutgers Athletics.
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