PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Senior Inna Balyko captured another milestone on Saturday night at the RAC as the Rutgers volleyball team battled the number two team in the nation. The Scarlet Knights battled No. 2 Wisconsin, fresh off an upset loss at Maryland, in three tight sets falling 25-18, 25-16, 25-21.

Overall, the match endured 18 ties and five lead changes.

RU, taking on its second-straight top 25 opponent of the weekend, fell to 8-5 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten while the Badgers returned to the win column at 9-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.
 

STANDOUT STATS

• Fifth-year senior Beka Kojadinovic collected a team-leading eight kills along with a game-high 10 digs.
• Senior setter Inna Balyko became the fifth Scarlet Knight in history to record over 3,000 career assists behind 22 assists. She also added to her overall game with five digs and two service aces along with two kills on three of her attacks.
• At the net, sophomore Tina Grkovic put away a trio of blocks.

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KEY MOMENTS

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• Set 1 (18-25) | A service ace from Kamila Cieslik prompted a Badger timeout with the Scarlet Knights leading 8-6 to start. Rutgers held an 11-9 advantage when Wisconsin used a 7-1 run to go ahead. The Badgers ended swinging .607 for the set. Beka Kojadinovic registered four of her game-high 10 kills.
• Set 2 (16-25) | It was another tight stanza to start with six ties between the two teams for a second-straight set. Tina Grkovic swung away to put Rutgers up 12-11, but last season's national semifinalists used another 7-1 rally to stay in front and closed out with four unanswered points.
• Set 3 (21-25) | Wisconsin held the lead early, but the Scarlet Knights battled their way back to knot the score up. After the Badgers went up 16-12 prompting a timeout by the Scarlet Knight bench, RU promptly put away four-straight points to tie up the set. Down the stretch the frame would be tied another three times with Rutgers earning a 21-20 advantage off a Badger miscue. While Wisconsin committed only two errors in each of the first two sets, Wisconsin had seven in the final frame and hit only .190. It was the Badgers, however, taking the set with the final five points.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Inna Balyko's 22 assists ups her overall career mark to 3,013 helpers. Rutgers' first-ever All-Big Ten selection in the spring of 2020, currently ranks second in the rally era and fifth-all time "On The Banks".
• Next big Scarlet Knight milestone to watch out for is Beka Kojadinovic at the service line. Kojadinovic needs four more aces to become RU's all-time rally-era leader.

HIGHLIGHTS

 

QUOTES

 

UP NEXT

• Rutgers embarks on its first conference road trip of the year traveling to Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 1 and No. 7 Purdue on Saturday, Oct. 2.

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