WILKES BARRE, Pa. (October 29, 2016) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's volleyball team split a pair of non-conference matches to close out its 2016 regular season Saturday afternoon.
 
The Scarlet Raiders opened the day with a 3-1 victory over the College of Saint Elizabeth, but fell in the finale 3-0 at the hands of host King's College.
 
Rutgers-Newark finishes its regular season with a record of 15-12 and will battle Montclair State University Tuesday night in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament Championship opening round. It is the team's first appearance in the league tournament since 2006.
 
NOTE: Play-by-play was not available for Saturday's matches in Wilkes Barre, Pa.
 
Rutgers-Newark 3, Saint Elizabeth 1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24)
The day's opening match was a back-and-forth battle for four sets, with the maximum difference between the two teams in any one set being three points.
 
The Scarlet Raiders finished the action with 48 points, 26 kills, 13 aces, nine blocks, 25 assists and 48 digs. Leading the Newark offense was sophomore Karolina Kopacz with eight kills, 10 digs and 12 assists. Sophomore Cassie Luken had six kills, five aces and three blocks, while junior Morgan Schweitzers picked up six winners. Sophomore Jess Moy added three aces, with senior Kathy Hormaza delivering nine assists and seven digs. Junior Sue Riley had a team-high 17 digs.
 
Saint Elizabeth hit .107 in the match, totaling 41 kills, 11 aces, 10 blocks, 40 assists and 49 digs. The Scarlet Raiders hit a match-best .043 in the second set, and were at a .000 overall.
 
King's 3, Rutgers-Newark 0 (25-21, 25-21, 26-24)
Despite falling 3-0, the Scarlet Raiders' match against King's was tight as the guests dropped the first two sets by four points and the third, 26-24.
 
Senior Tabitha Davis led the offense with 13 kills, as Newark earned eight from Schweitzer and six from Luken. Kopacz (four), Riley (two) and Hormaza (two) combined for 10 aces, and Kopacz (21) and Hormaza (13) teamed up for 34 assists. Riley had an excellent 23 digs, and the Scarlet Raiders picked up 13 from Luken and 11 from sophomore Analis Capobianco.
 
Each team finished the match with 49 total points, but King's hit .257 compared to a .149 mark for the Raiders. R-N had 38 kills, eight aces, three blocks, 37 assists and 58 digs, while KC tallied 37 kills, six aces, six blocks, 35 helpers and 56 digs.