Newark, NJ – Rutgers University-Newark women's volleyball wrapped up tri-match play on Saturday, falling to FDU-Florham and Brooklyn College.
In the opener, the Scarlet Raiders were swept 3-0 (25-14, 25-7, 25-18) by FDU-Florham. Rutgers-Newark struggled to find offensive rhythm, hitting just .026 as a team with 21 kills and 18 errors on 116 total attacks. Tracey Ilderis led the way with eight kills, while Jaedyn Simba-Malasarte anchored the defense with 15 digs. The visitors held a .264 hitting percentage and controlled play at the net with 46 kills and 42 assists, handing Newark its first loss of the day.
Rutgers-Newark showed more fight in its second match but came up just short in a tight 3-0 defeat (27-25, 25-19, 26-24) against Brooklyn College. The Scarlet Raiders pushed each set to the wire and totaled 24 kills and 74 digs, but the Bulldogs' serving and blocking made the difference. Ilderis once again paced the attack with eight kills, while Helen Bilomasur led the back row with 12 digs. Despite a strong defensive showing, Newark's .044 hitting percentage could not overcome Brooklyn's more efficient offense and timely aces down the stretch.
The Scarlet Raiders will look to bounce back as they close out the road NJAC play with a game against William Paterson on Tuesday.
