Inna Balyko named to First Team All-Big Team
Following the end of the Rutgers women's volleyball season, junior setter Inna Balyko earned another award to cap off her year. Last Thursday, she was named First Team All-Big Ten in a vote by the conference coaches, becoming the first player in program history to achieve this feat.
Balyko was key in the Scarlet Knights (6-14, 6-14) closing out their season on a four-game win streak, with the team beating both Maryland and Michigan State in consecutive weeks. In the pair of victories against the Terrapins (5-15, 5-15), she averaged 12.25 assists per set, which helped Rutgers capture its first Big Ten sweep since it joined the conference in 2014.
In the first match against Maryland, Balyko stuffed the stat sheet, collecting 40 assists and 13 digs, giving her a fourth double-double on the season while adding four blocks and three kills. Her 58 assists in the second match that week set a new record for most assists by a Knight in a Big Ten match, as well as having the seventh-most assists scored by any player in the rally-scoring era.
Her performance that week earned her a second Setter of the Week award this season, with her previous one coming on Feb. 1 of this year. That game also pushed Balyko past the 2,500 career assist mark, just a couple of months after she reached 2,000. She currently sits at 2,709 career assists, which is fifth all-time for Rutgers and second in the rally-scoring era.
The following Friday against the Spartans (3-12, 3-12), Balyko paced the team with 48 assists and a game-high four aces. She would contribute 36 assists and a pair of block assists the following day to close out her season.
Since being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week back in September 2018, Balyko has continued to improve. This season, she averaged 8.95 assists per set, which was seventh in the category in the Big Ten. The Knight also achieved five double-doubles, 139 digs, 39 blocks, 29 kills and 20 aces. Her performance helped Rutgers move to a new record for most Big Ten wins since joining in 2014 and most conference wins since 2005.
This season, six of Balyko's performances in 2021 were among the Knights’ top 10 in assists for a Big Ten contest. For her career, Balyko has won the Setter of the Week award a total of two times.
In addition, senior right-side hitter Kamila Cieslik was also a Big Ten award winner this season, earning the Big Ten Sportsmanship honor.
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