Box Score

NEWARK, N.J. – Rutgers University-Newark hit a season-high .448 to sweep past Marymount University in the Scarlet Raiders' debut in the Continental Volleyball Conference in The Golden Dome Arena.  Game scores were 25-18, 25-21, 25-18.
 
Junior opposite Travis Mintzer hammered down a match-high 11 kills on just 15 swings with one error (.667) to pace the Raiders' overpowering attack which was fueled by 33 assists from junior setter Kevin McCandless.
 
Sophomores Jack Fredricks and Nick Kuti notched 10 points and seven kills apiece as Rutgers-Newark (4-5, CVC 1-0) reeled off its fourth straight win – all against D-III opponents in The Dome.  Fredricks hit .545 (7-1-11) while adding an ace, a solo block and a pair of blocking assists while Kuti hit .500 (7-2-10) with two aces and two blocking assists.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Jose Mendez added to the balance assault with eight kills and an ace while junior middle hitter Cody Chidsey chipped in five kills and two blocking assists.  Junior libero Quocmy Nguyen handled 14 serves without an error while posting a match-high four digs for the Raiders.
 
Freshman opposite TJ Wiechecki totaled a match-high 14 points for the Saints (2-5, CVC 0-1) with 10 kills, three of Marymount's five aces and a pair of blocking assists, but he was the only visitor to reach double figure points.  Freshman outside hitter Albert Johansson tallied seven kills while getting in on two blocks for the Saints and freshman setter Erich Bratke distributed 21 assists.
 
Rutgers-Newark led wire-to-wire in the first and last frames, but the Saints battled the Raiders on even terms in the second game.  Back-to-back kills by sophomore middle blocker Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz and Johansson ignited a 3-point run by the Saints.  Freshman middle blocker Graham Clark and Johansson posted a block to stake the visitors to a 17-15 lead.  Consecutive kills by Mendez caped a 3-point rally by the Raiders to level to score at 19-19.  A Saint service error gave the Raiders the lead for good at 22-21 before a Fredricks solo block, a Mendez service ace and a kill by Mintzer put the Rutgers-Newark firmly in control of the contest. 
 
Mintzer, who powered down five kills without an error on six attacks in the second game, pounded down four kills without an error on five swings in the third game to help the Raiders hit .550 (12-1-20) and end the evening.  Freshman Ricky Crumlish came in to serve back-to-back aces in the last set.
 
Rutgers-Newark hosts Eastern Mennonite in another CVC match at 2 p.m. on Saturday in The Golden Dome Arena.