Rutgers Loses Big Ten Opener to Northwestern
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Sept. 25, 2015) — Rutgers women’s volleyball began their Big Ten season with a loss to Northwestern on Friday night at the College Avenue gym.
The Wildcats swept the Scarlet Knights in three straight sets to improve to 9–3 on the season and 1–0 in conference play, while Rutgers dropped to an overall record of 3–10 and 0–1 in conference action. The Sept. 18 game against Howard was the last time the Scarlet Knights notched a win.
Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan told The Daily Northwestern that the team would play with an updated strategy to take on Rutgers.
“We’ve spent a lot of time researching, reading and educating ourselves on how to manage training cycles,” said Chan. “There’s been a huge environmental shift in how we manage our athletes.”
That shift helped. Although Rutgers managed to move in front after a 5-point deficit in the opening set, Northwestern beat the Scarlet Knights with a final score of 25–23. Northwestern maintained the lead in set two until Rutgers tied the score at 8–8. The tie did not last long, with the Wildcats taking a 20–13 lead and winning the set 25–15.
Takia Brown, a Rutgers University senior and sports marketing intern, has worked with the volleyball team since the beginning of the season, and while she does not doubt their skill, she believes the women do not know how to close out when it matters.
“(The Scarlet Knights) are so talented and they’ll have control in the beginning,” said Brown. “I don’t know if the women get tired or lazy, but halfway through the set they always lose their momentum.”
Juniors Lauren Cloyd and Cole Trimble led the Scarlet Knights , racking up eight kills each, and senior setter Anna Sudbury put up 25 assists.
Despite the loss, the Big Ten opener still attracted a large number of fans to the Barn, with the first 20 students in attendance receiving a free Hansel and Griddle Banana Flip voucher and the first 100 fans receiving a free Rutgers volleyball t-shirt.
“I saw the promotion on Twitter, so I figured why not go to my first game tonight,” said Rutgers sophomore Saskia Jabalon. “I don’t know if that’s why people are here, but it was nice to come support them.”
Rutgers senior Mitchell Johnson believes fan support is necessary, saying that working the home football games has shown him the importance of filling the stands.
“We joined the Big Ten and now everyone flocks to the football and basketball games, which is cool. I think the crowd gets them hype and helps them win,” said Johnson. “But these stands should be filled too. These girls are a part of the program too.”
The Big Ten gauntlet continues on Saturday, Sept. 26, when the Scarlet Knights will face ninth-ranked Illinois for a 7 p.m. showdown. This is the second year in a row that the Scarlet Knights face the Wildcats and Fighting Illini to open conference play.
