Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Rutgers-Newark downed Lesley, 3-0, and fell to host Springfield, 3-0, in opening night action at the Springfield Invitational.  The Scarlet Raiders rolled to a 25-6, 25-10, 25-9 win over the Lynx before the No. 2 nationally-ranked Pride stopped the Raiders, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19.

AGAINST LESLEY, freshmen Christopher Kopacz with eight kills and Cody Chidsey with seven paced a balanced Scarlet Raider attack behind the sets of rookie Adrian Lopez.  Lopez distributed a career-high 25 assists as Rutgers-Newark hit a season's best .467 (35 kills, seven errors, 60 attacks) to storm to a 25-6, 25-10, 25-9 win over the Lynx (0-16).

Middle hitter Jose Cerame delivered three aces and outside hitter Nick Collins, two, as the Raiders notched a team-best 10 in the 39-minute match.  Andy Guinto posted a match-high seven digs.

Freshman outside hitter Colin Ferguson led the Raiders with 9.5 points on nine kills and an assisted block while Kopacz, sophomore outside hitter Manuel Felipez and freshman right side Nick Collins had six kills apiece.  Rookie setter Kevin McCandless came up with 15 assists in two sets while Lopez notched 14 in the same number of games.

Seniors Mike Pelletier and John Coen had a dozen kills apiece as Springfield hit .514 (44 kills, six errors, 74 attacks) to beat the young Raiders (3-15) for the second time this season.  The Pride (22-3), the defending NCAA D-III Champions, got 38 assists from senior setter Mike Becker while senior middle blocker Greg Falcone got in on seven of Springfield's 10 blocks.

Rutgers-Newark takes on Southern Vermont at 10 a.m. and Sage Colleges at noon on Saturday to finish their two-day event.