Marquette University Athletics
Volleyball falls in four games to Rutgers
9/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Recap | Box Score
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. ? Senior outside hitter Erica Heisser had a collegiate high 20 kills, but Rutgers? balanced effort was enough for a 3-1 (16-30, 30-26, 30-24, 34-32) win. Rutgers had four players with 10 or more kills.
Early on, it appeared that Marquette (3-2) would dominate the match. The Golden Eagles cruised to a 14-point win in game one. Marquette hit 37.5 percent in the first game and outkilled Rutgers (2-3), 16-9. Marquette?s 8-1 run in the middle of the first game gave the Golden Eagles all the momentum it would need for the win. A 5-0 run late in the game paced by a pair of kills from Heisser proved more than enough for the game one triumph.
Marquette still held the statistical advantage in game two, owning the kill battle, 29-24, but Rutgers won the game, 30-26. Heisser had 10 of her 20 kills in the game, but a late run by Rutgers was too much for Marquette to handle. After jumping to a 12-9 lead in the game on three straight service aces by senior Libero Erin Freer, Rutgers responded with a 9-3 run to take the lead it would hold through the end of the second game.
Rutgers? Stephanie Travoli matched Heisser?s total with 10 kills in game three to pace the Scarlet Knights to the six-point win. Marquette struggled offensively, having 14 kills with 11 errors in the frame. Rutgers hit 31.4 percent for the game, taking its first lead at 6-5 and never relinquishing it.
Marquette battled in the final game, but came up short, 34-32. No team owned larger than a three-point lead as neither team wanted to give up in the final game. Tied at 22, neither team scored more than two consecutive points, but Rutgers timed their mini-runs to earn the narrow victory in the final game.
Junior outside hitter Theresa Coughlin also came up with a season high 15 kills. Senior setter Sarah Vernon logged a season best 48 assists. Leading the way for Rutgers was Laura Yankauskas, who had 15 kills. Travoli finished with 13.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, Sept. 11 in the final match of the Radisson Invitational against tournament host Western Michigan at 7 p.m. (EDT).
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