Box Score NEW YORK – Rutgers University-Newark freshman libero
Sue Riley notched a career-high 31 digs but Baruch College posted a non-conference 3-1 win in the ARC. Game scores were 25-23, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23 in the 1-hour, 40-minute battle.
Junior middle blocker
Sharee Gordon led the Scarlet Raiders (6-4) with 18 points, hammering down 11 kills while getting in on nine of Rutgers-Newark's 11 total blocks. She had a season-high five solo blocks plus four blocking assists.
Riley also handled 42 serves with just one receiving error while reaching the 30-dig plateau for the second time in her young career.
Freshman outside hitter
Karolina Kopacz totaled a dozen points on nine kills, an ace, a solo block and two blocking assists while chipping in 11 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist
Kathy Hormaza made 11 digs as the Raiders posted 86 as a team. Freshman setter
Nathalie Breining had 28 assists, two kills and an ace.
Senior outside hitter Michelle Stommes paced the Bearcats (6-8) with 16 kills while juniors McKenzie Davidson and Sydney Parks followed with 11 apiece. Parks delivered three of Baruch's four aces. Junior libero Amy Sung rang up 35 digs while junior setter Crystle Dela Cruz amassed 47 assists.
The Raiders led game one 23-21 before Stommes had three kills mixed with a Rutgers-Newark ball-handling error to turn momentum toward the Bearcats. There were 10 ties and five lead changes in the frame with Kopacz and Gordon posting getting three kills apiece. Stommes put down seven kills in the game.
There were seven ties and three lead changes in the second set, but Davidson had six kills to lead a balanced Baruch assault despite four kills by Gordon.
Gordon got in on four of the Raiders six blocks in the third game and added three kills as Rutgers-Newark got back into the match despite hitting negative numbers for the frame.
Baruch bolted out to a 7-1 lead in game four to close out the night behind four kills each by Stommes and Parks. Kopacz had four kills and an ace in the set for the Raiders.
Rutgers-Newark hosts St. Joseph's College on Thursday at 7 p.m. in The Golden Dome Arena to complete a string of three matches in three days.
