BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Rutgers-Newark women's volleyball team opened the 2026 season in thrilling fashion Tuesday afternoon, rallying from an early deficit to earn a 3-2 (22-25, 25-17, 25-13, 20-25, 15-13) victory over St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) at The Hill Center.
After dropping a tightly contested opening set, the Scarlet Raiders responded in dominant fashion, taking the second and third sets by a combined 50-30 margin to take a 2-1 lead. Rutgers-Newark hit .237 in the second set and .154 in the third while holding the Bears to negative attack percentages across the two frames.
St. Joseph's answered by taking the fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth frame.
The Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fifth, but Rutgers-Newark refused to go away. The Scarlet Raiders battled back to even the score at 5-5, setting up a back-and-forth finish. With the score tied at 12-12, St. Joseph's took the next point to go up 13-12. Rutgers-Newark answered with three straight points to secure the 15-13 victory.
Bella Foster and Cyan Long led the Scarlet Raiders offensively with 10 kills apiece. Foster was particularly efficient, recording her 10 kills without an error on 23 attacks for a .435 hitting percentage.
Freshman setter Annabelle Fote made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut, finishing with 35 assists while adding three kills and three service aces.
Jaedyn Simba-Malasarte provided a strong all-around performance with 17 digs, six service aces and four kills and  Tracey Ilderis also contributed nine kills and 12 digs, while Rutgers-Newark finished the match with 40 kills, 14 service aces and 61 digs as a team.
Rutgers-Newark returns to action Saturday, September 5, traveling to Maryland for a tri-match against McDaniel College and Susquehanna University.
For the latest news, updates, and information on Rutgers-Newark Athletics, visit rutgersnewarkathletics.com. Fans can also stay up to date by following the Scarlet Raiders on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
