Rutgers volleyball found something Sunday it hadn’t had in a while: a set win against one of the nation’s best.
The Scarlet Knights pushed No. 15 Indiana to four sets at Jersey Mike’s Arena, taking the second frame in a 3-1 loss and snapping a pair of long droughts in the process. Rutgers had not won a set against a top-25 opponent since 2023, and it had not taken a set from a top-15 team since 2021.
Indiana still left Piscataway with the match, 25-20, 17-25, 25-21, 26-24, but Rutgers showed real bite along the way. After dropping the opener, the Scarlet Knights controlled the second set from the start and then nearly dragged the fourth into a fifth before the Hoosiers closed it out late.
Malia Romes turned in the best match of her young season, finishing with a career-high 16 kills. The freshman hit .500 on 26 attacks and kept Rutgers alive in key spots, including the first set when she put down six kills on nine swings.
Skylar George added 10 kills, seven digs and three service aces, while Aspen Maxwell and Imani Howell each played big roles in stretches where Rutgers surged. Brooke Baldwin handed out 26 assists, Lily Bolen added 23, Natalie Robinson matched the team lead with three blocks, and Kenzie Dyrstad piled up a match-high 16 digs.
Rutgers is now 10-6 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play. Indiana moved to 10-3 and 3-1.
The opening set was tight for long stretches, with seven ties and seven lead changes, and Rutgers actually held the edge midway through. George delivered back-to-back kills to put the Scarlet Knights up 17-16, but Indiana answered with a 6-1 burst and finished the set hitting .542 with just one error on 24 attacks. Romes had a strong closing stretch with two late kills, but the Hoosiers still pulled away from 23-20 and claimed the frame.
Rutgers responded with its cleanest set of the afternoon. The Scarlet Knights never trailed in the second, and the only tie came at 1-1.
From there, Rutgers moved out to 10-5 and carried a 15-7 lead into the break. Imani Howell served an ace to stretch the advantage to 18-10 and force an Indiana timeout.
The Hoosiers never got closer than five after that. Maxwell supplied four kills on eight swings in the set, and Rutgers committed just one error while hitting .382.
The third set looked like it might swing Rutgers’ way again after the Scarlet Knights battled back from a six-point hole. Maxwell helped spark a 10-4 run with a shot off the Hoosier block to tie the set at 16-16.
She tied it again at 17-17, Howell made it 18-18 with a kill, and then Indiana answered with a 6-1 run to take control for good. Rutgers was hurt by nine errors in the frame, with George and Romes each finishing with three kills.
The fourth set brought the drama. Rutgers erased a six-point deficit and surged with a late 9-4 run to pull even at 24-24, but Indiana had the final word and edged out the set 26-24 to finish the match.
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