ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY – Rutgers-Newark used a balanced attack to sweep past host Bard College and Old Westbury and post its first winning season since 2006.

BOX SCORES
Rutgers-Newark 3, Bard 0
Rutgers-Newark 3, Old Westbury 0

The Scarlet Raiders (15-12) rolled past Bard, 25-13, 25-21, 25-13, before routing Old Westbury, 25-21, 25-13, 25-16, to keep alive hopes for an ECAC Metro/Upstate NY Championship playoff berth.  The 8-team tournament begins on November 7.

Junior outside hitter Paulina Walega paced the Raiders with 24 points on 21 kills and three aces in the two decisions. She hit .450 (21 kills, 3 errors, 40 attacks) to help the Raiders hit .313 as a team.  Senior middle blocker Rachel Witt notched 21.5 points on 21 kills, a pair of aces, two solo blocks and an assisted block.  She had no attack errors in 30 swings.

AGAINST BARD, junior setter Jen Mendoza fueled with offense with 33 assists as the team hit a crisp .377.  Senior right side Stephanie Touzan roped five of the Raiders' seven aces while adding six kills and a solo block for a match-high 12 points.

Walega hammered down a match-high nine kills and Witt chipped in eight kills on just 13 attacks while getting in on a pair of blocks.  Junior outside hitter Ula Nieznalska contributed seven kills, an ace and a team-high 10 digs.

AGAINST OLD WESTBURY, Walega again had a match-high in kills with a dozen while adding three of the Raiders' 10 aces plus nine digs.  Witt notched nine kills, two aces and a solo block while Nieznalska came up with eight kills, two aces, a solo block and eight digs.  Mendoza dished out 37 assists while making a team-high 10 digs.

Rutgers-Newark won nine of their last 12 matches under first-year head coach Jason Madsen, narrowly missing a New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship tournament berth.