NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark senior middle hitter
Jon Keller piled up 11 assisted blocks, made 13 kills and delivered five aces, but Springfield rallied for a 3-2 men’s volleyball win in The Golden Dome to continue the Scarlet Raiders frustration in 5-set matches.
Springfield 3, Rutgers-Newark 2
The Pride (6-4) clawed their way out of a 2-0 deficit to take the win, 25-30, 18-30, 31-29, 30-28, 15-11, as freshman opposite Alistair Matthews had a match-high 25 kills. Senior outside hitter AJ Nally added 14 kills, 11 digs, a solo block and five assisted blocks.
The Scarlet Raiders (1-8), who fell 3-2 for the third time in as many home matches this season, lost in five for the fifth time in just nine outings.
Rutgers-Newark got 21 kills and five assisted blocks from sophomore outside hitter
Marcin Midura to lead a balanced attack. Junior right side
Dane Mulligan tallied 16 points on 14 kills, an ace and a pair of assisted blocks while senior outside hitter
Nate Stott posted 10 kills, a solo block and two assisted blocks.
Junior setter
Jeff Zornig registered 61 assists and got in on eight blocks for Rutgers-Newark.
Springfield also got seven kills on .778 hitting, an ace, a solo block and seven assisted blocks from freshman middle blocker Greg Falcone.
The Raiders seemed in complete control of the match after two sets with Midura hammering down six kills in the opening frame before Keller roped all five of his aces in the second.
But after hitting .382 in the first set and .333 in the second, the Raiders cooled off in the third to allow Springfield back into the fray.
Rutgers-Newark led 26-22 in the third set when back-to-back kills by Matthews ignited a 5-2 run which knotted the score. A kill by freshman outside hitter Mike Pelletier and a block by Falcone and senior setter Eric Shoemaker broke a 29-29 tie and swung the momentum to Springfield’s side. Shoemaker finished with 52 assists, three kills, four assisted blocks and seven digs.
In the fourth set, Midura had seven kills and Keller, five, but Springfield hit a scorching .455 (17 kills, 2 errors, 33 attacks) to pull even. Matthews led the way with seven kills on a dozen swings with no errors.
Back-to-back kills by Pelletier and Nally followed by solo block by Falcone broke a 5-5 tie in the final frame, giving Springfield control at the changeover. The Raiders trimmed the deficit to two points three times before a Matthews kills ended the night.
Rutgers-Newark plays at Princeton on Friday at 7 p.m., hoping to snap a 5-match losing streak.