MAHWAH, N.J. (March 5, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team saw its six-match winning streak come to an end in heart breaking fashion as the Scarlet Raiders lost a very close contest at Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) and New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe Ramapo College, 3-2 (19-25, 20-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-13).

Rutgers-Newark moves to 10-4 overall, 6-2 in the CVC, and 0-1 in NJAC play while the Roadrunners even their record at 9-9 overall (4-3 CVC, 2-1 NJAC).

The Raiders featured three players in double-digit kills led by freshman Arvind Kumar. Kumar recorded his second double-double in as many matches with 14 kills and 12 digs. Classmate Elan Dorkhman contributed 12 winners while sophomore Kyle Loesner added 10. Sophomore Travis Emenaker had a double-double of his own with a team-high 13 digs and 25 assists. Senior Arnan Romua led the squad with 26 helpers.

R-N returns to NJAC play on Thursday night when NJCU comes to the Brick City for a 7 p.m. matchup.

In the first set, the visitors trailed 9-4 early but quickly rallied to even the game up with a kill by senior Brendon Frank and an ace from Dorkhman highlighting the run.

Following six more ties, the Scarlet Raiders gained some breathing room as they turned a 15-15 score into a 21-16 lead.  That stretch featured four winners from three different players, including a pair by sophomore David Mrowko. Newark would not concede that advantage as the squad picked a 25-19 win.

The visitors pulled away much earlier in the second stanza as they widened a slight 8-6 edge into a comfortable 16-7 margin. Dorkhman and Loesner added kills while Romua had an ace and Kumar capped the surge with a pair of aces. Ramapo managed to slice the lead down to just three late in the game, but the Raiders held them off for a 25-20 victory and commanding 2-0 lead for the match.

The biggest advantage for either side in the third was just five points and it was short-lived. The Roadrunners took a 14-9 edge, however R-N cut that down to one by taking five of the next six points, punctuated by back-to-back Dorkhman winners. Unfortunately, while they would remain close the rest of the way, the Scarlet Raiders could not overcome that deficit and eventually lost 25-21.

The script was flipped in the fourth game as the visitors claimed an early five-point edge, 13-8, behind winners from four different players and an ace apiece by Dorkhman and Romua. Still, it was the hosts that quickly turned the table, rattling off the next six points to vault into the lead.

From that point on, neither squad would lead by more than two as the momentum swung back-and-forth. Trailing 21-19, Rutgers-Newark rallied back with four consecutive scores, featuring two spikes from Kumar. Ramapo struck back to even the set with the next two points, however yet another Kumar winner earned the visitors a set and match point. The Roadrunners were up to the task, winning the next three rallies to take the game and force a decisive fifth set.

The fifth and final stanza featured a stunning 12 ties and lead changes. Unfortunately for the visitors, their last lead would come on a spike by rookie Danny Quay that made in 9-8. While the Raiders would even the score at 10-10, 11-11 (on a Loesner winner), and 12-12 (on a Dorkhman kill), they would never be in front again as the hosts eked out a gritty 15-13 win and 3-2 victory for the night.