NEWARK, NJ - The Rutgers-Newark women's volleyball team split its tri-match Saturday afternoon at the Golden Dome Athletic Center. The Raiders defeated visiting FDU-Florham in three sets, and then fell to Gwynedd Mercy in three.
Match 1: Rutgers Newark 3, FDU-Florham 0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-15)
Rutgers-Newark dominated the match from start to finish, never trailing the Devils.
Bella Foster came out the gate swinging, as she tallied four kills in set one. Add that to eight blocks by the team and it was hard for the Devils to keep up as the Raiders captured the 25-15 set one win.
The second set saw the Raiders go on a 6-0 run to start the set, forcing FDU-Florham to call a timeout. The Devils inched their way back coming within one point at 6-5. Some attack errors later on by the Raiders gave the Devils a sign of relief, but it didn't last long as it was their own errors down the stretch that cost them the set with Rutgers-Newark escaping with the 25-23 victory.
Jaedyn Simba-Malasarter used the third set to punch out four kills and five digs. It paired well with a Raider squad that hit .333 for the set en route to picking up the set win 25-15, and securing the match victory in three sets.
Simba-Malasarter led the team with nine kills and 10 digs. Bella Foster added eight kills and five block assists. Angelyse Orellana tallied 21 assists and three digs.
Match 2: Gwynedd Mercy 3, Rutgers-Newark 0 (29-31, 22-25, 20-25)
Set one provided some drama for the two squads, as they battled it out in extra points with the Griffins stealing the opening set, 31-29. The momentum carried its way into the next two sets, as Gwynedd Mercy stayed ahead of the Raiders to make it a three-set sweep over the home team.
The second set saw Gwynedd serve up four aces, and despite the Raiders hitting .267 for the set, it wasn't enough as the visitors captured a three-point set win.
The difference in the third set was Gwynedd recording 17 kills to Rutgers-Newark's four. It led to a .059 hitting percentage for the Raiders and a hole too deep to climb out of. Ultimately, the Raiders fell 25-22 to drop the set and the match.
Maryann Ijeh led the Raiders with eight kills, two solo blocks and two block assists. Bella Foster tallied five kills, three aces, and three block assists. Jaedyn Simba-Malasarte tallied a trio of kills and collected 10 digs.
Up Next Women's volleyball takes the court next on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Montclair State. Match is set for 7 p.m.
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