MAHWAH, N.J. (March 7, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-1 win at Ramapo College Tuesday night at the Bradley Center in Mahwah.
 
The win is the sixth in the team's last seven matches as the Scarlet Raiders improve to 9-12 overall. Ramapo falls to 10-8 in defeat. R-N will now head into its spring recess and returns to the court March 23 at New York University.
 
Junior Corey Pieper had 17 kills in the match to lead Rutgers-Newark, double-doubling with 12 digs and adding five total blocks.

Tuesday night's set scores were 25-23, 18-25, 25-23 and 25-23.
 
Rutgers-Newark 25, Ramapo 23
Ramapo held a 9-6 lead after 15 points and the hosts upped the edge to four points after 20 (12-8). The Scarlet Raiders came back, tying the score at 13 after a kill from junior Jalen Sorrell, and taking a 16-15 edge following a kill from junior Ricky Crumlish. The two sides would go point-for-point down the stretch with a block from Sorrell and sophomore Brendon Frank and a kill from Sorrell giving Rutgers-Newark a 1-0 lead.
 
Ramapo 25, Rutgers-Newark 18
The Roadrunners evened the match at one with a seven-point win the second, scoring 10-of-13 to start. An ace from sophomore Arnan Romua pulled Rutgers-Newark within four (19-15), but that would be as close as the Raiders could get.
 
Rutgers-Newark 25, Ramapo 23
It was Ramapo taking control of the action midway through the third, leading by six at 17-11. Rutgers-Newark responded to take a 21-20 lead on a 10-3 rally featuring a Frank ace and two kills from Pieper, but Ramapo went back in front with two-straight tallies (22-21). Sorrell and Pieper combined on a block to tie the score, a Pieper kill gave Rutgers-Newark set point (24-22) and a Frank/Sorrell rejection put the Raiders up 2-1.
 
Rutgers-Newark 25, Ramapo 23
Unlike the third set, Rutgers-Newark came out strong in the fourth, doubling up the Roadrunners, 6-3. Newark could not pull away, but remained on top, using a Pieper winner and Ramapo error to take a 15-11 edge. Later, the hosts came back to tie the set at 17, but two-straight put the Raiders back in front.
 
Ramapo once again came back to tie – this time at 21 – but Rutgers received a kill from Pieper and a rejection from junior Dom Gutowski to go up two (23-21). Another Pieper kill brought up set point, with a Roadrunner attack error serving as match point for the Scarlet Raiders.
 
R-N had 56 points, 45 kills and a .248 hitting percentage, adding 42 assists, 51 digs, eight total blocks and three aces. Ramapo totaled 70 points, 53 kills and a .222 hitting percentage.
 
In addition to Pieper, Crumlish put down nine kills and hit a sterling .444, and junior Justin Sandy had eight kills and nine digs. Frank had 23 assists, four digs and two blocks, and Sorrell had seven winners and four denials. Freshman libero Jake Connors lifted 14 digs.

Hot, hot, hot! Rutgers-Newark goes into a 16-day break having won three-straight to improve to 9-12 overall. The Scarlet Raiders started the season 3-11.

Nice work! Corey Pieper has double-digit kills in every match but three this season, and he now has three double-doubles.

That's Odd: Rutgers-Newark won three sets Tuesday night by the same score of 25-23.