Highlights

NEWARK, N.J. (April 1, 2017) – Behind a 20-kill performance from junior Ricky Crumlish and a gutty fourth-set comeback, the Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team upset 11th-ranked Eastern Mennonite University, 3-1, in a Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) match in The Golden Dome Saturday afternoon in Newark.
 
Rutgers-Newark improves to 12-15 overall and 6-6 in the CVC, and Eastern Mennonite drops to 9-4 in the conference and 20-8 overall.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will visit Juniata College and Thiel College next weekend to close out their regular-season schedule.
 
Down 23-20 late in the fourth set, the Scarlet Raiders battled back, scoring three-straight to tie at 23. Each team fought off one set point, before the Scarlet Raiders clinched the 27-25 set-four win and the 3-1 upset.
 
"It was great to watch the guys battle for that win, especially coming back in the fourth set," Head Coach Pedro Trevino said after the match. "Our team showed an incredible amount of fight all match, but seeing them pull through late was awesome. I am really proud of the entire group."
 
Saturday's set scores were 17-25, 25-22, 25-23 and 27-25.
 
Rutgers-Newark 25, EMU 17
The two teams split the first 12 points of the match, and junior Justin Sandy delivered four early winners for the Scarlet Raiders. Each team had 12 tallies after 24 markers (12-12), and a kill from junior Ricky Crumlish helped Rutgers-Newark to a 13-12 advantage.
 
Trailing 16-14, Eastern Mennonite went on a set-changing run, scoring nine-straight points to open a 23-16 margin, eventually closing it out for a 1-0 lead.
 
Rutgers-Newark 25, EMU 22
EMU scored 4-of-5 to start the set, but the Scarlet Raiders rallied behind three kills from sophomore Brendon Frank to tie the score at nine-all. A Crumlish winner gave Rutgers-Newark a 13-12 edge after 25 scores, and the two teams went point-for-point during the middle portion of the set.
 
A kill and an ace from sophomore Arnan Romua allowed the Scarlet Raiders to take a 20-17 lead, and a combo-block from junior Jalen Sorrell and Romua gave R-N set point at 24-20. Two points later, Crumlish sealed it with authority, tying the match, 1-1.
 
Rutgers-Newark 25, EMU 23
R-N surged ahead early behind a pair of Crumlish hammers, and a big-time kill from Frank upped the Rutgers-Newark lead to five at 12-7.
 
The Scarlet Raiders kept pushing, and behind kills from Sandy and Crumlish extended to a 16-9 advantage. EMU chipped away behind senior Scott Brigham, getting within one at 23-22, but an error and Crumlish kill lifted Rutgers to the 25-23 set win and a 2-1 lead.
 
Rutgers-Newark 27, EMU 25
EMU doubled up Rutgers-Newark early in the fourth set (8-4), and the Royals were able to stay at least two points ahead through the first 30 markers. A combo-block from Gutowski and Frank pulled the Scarlet Raiders within one at 17-16, and moments later Gutowski and Crumlish combined on a block to tie the score at 19-all.
 
Things swung back in favor of EMU at 23-20, but the Scarlet Raiders shook it off, ripping off four-straight points to go up 24-23. Each team fought off one set point, before Rutgers-Newark tallied the final three markers in the match – a Sorrell kill, a Crumlish kill and an EMU attack error.
 
Crumlish put down 20 kills (.262), five digs, four blocks and two aces. He eclipsed the 15-kill mark for the fourth time in five matches and has been an absolute monster of late for Rutgers-Newark. Sandy and Frank each had 13 kills and Sorell had seven, while Romua double-doubled with 47 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Jake Connors had 14 digs and Frank added nine. Sorrell tallied a sterling eight blocks in a very strong defensive performance as the Scarlet Raiders picked up 11 team rejections.
 
Rutgers-Newark totaled 73 points, 57 kills, five aces, 55 assists and 45 digs, and EMU totaled 69 points on 54 kills, four aces, 11 blocks, 53 assists and 48 digs. R-N had a hitting percentage of .248 for the match with a set-high .387 rate in the second, while EMU tallied a .219 hitting percentage.
 
Friday's CVC showdown at Juniata College is slated for a 7 p.m. start.