Rutgers volleyball opens up spring schedule with Sunday doubleheader
After a four-month pause between seasons, the Rutgers volleyball team is back on the floor this Sunday for a doubleheader. The Scarlet Knights’ first game starts at 9:30 a.m. against Princeton, and the second leg of the doubleheader is against Army. Both games will be at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus and are the only home games of the spring season.
To start the fall season, Rutgers went 8-3 in their non-conference slate, the best mark in program history since 2012. Its opening stretch consisted of four tournaments, including the UConn Challenge that saw the Knights drop just a single set en route to three victories.
Rutgers was less successful in their Big Ten games. They lost all 20 of their matchups, whether at home or on the road.
The most seasoned veteran on the spring roster is graduate student middle back Megan Vernon. She played four seasons at Kansas State before coming to the Banks. In the fall she appeared in 59 sets, registering 68 kills. On defense, she had five blocks on her own and assisted on another 44.
Elena Montgomery led the Tigers in the fall season with 307 kills, while Paige Fixemer led the Black Knights in the same category with 277 kills.
The Knights roll into Sunday with 13 players on their roster, including two transfers. In the fall they had 16 rostered players. Sophomore defensive specialist Lucy Malone is one of the transfers. She played last year at Coastal Carolina, appearing in nine sets.
Senior setter Alyssa Nayar spent the previous three seasons at Little Rock. Throughout her career, she posted a total of 550 digs, 53 service aces, 49 total blocks and 63 kills.
Army boasts a full roster with 18 players that includes only two juniors and no seniors.
Since the spring slate of games is not an official season, a University official emphasized that each game will be 90 minutes with the goal of getting as many sets in as possible. This will give teams a chance to experiment with different lineups and will give players a chance to get offseason reps in. Scores will not be published after the games.
Admission is free for both games.
For more updates on the Rutgers volleyball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
