Though they’ve been playing better as of late, the NYU volleyball team ran into a brick wall on Tuesday, falling to fifth-ranked Rutgers-Newark in four sets (22-25, 25-16, 18-25, 20-25).

The 13th-ranked Violets are back to .500 after the loss, squared off with a Rutgers team firing on all cylinders. With a stellar 21-2 record, the Scarlet Pirates gained an early edge, taking the match’s first set. The Violets competed well initially, holding an 11-9 lead, but Rutgers gained the upper hand, wearing down NYU with great defense. Eventually down 22-20, the Violets couldn’t make a full comeback and dropped the set.

The momentum briefly shifted in the second set, as NYU put together its best performance of the night. The Violets gradually established a small lead, putting two or three points together at various points in the set. Up 20-15, the team took six of the last seven points to get back into the match.

But Rutgers regained its composure in the third, regaining the lead after falling behind 6-3 early in the set. After the Violets retook the lead 14-13, Rutgers forced its way into the driver’s seat with a dominant stretch of five of six points won. They went on to win the final three points to put the Violets on the brink. The fourth set played out nearly the same as the third — the first half of the frame was close, but Rutgers once again gained the edge with defense and important stretches of points. Rutgers won five points in a row to make it 20-14 and put together another run of three points to extend the lead to 23-17. Even with a valiant effort, NYU could only muster up 20 points before Rutgers’ Cody Chidsey put the final nail in the coffin.

The teams combined for 35 errors, but Rutgers had the defensive edge, tallying 32 digs compare to NYU’s 25. Rutgers also led NYU in kills (53-46), blocks (9-6) and assists (51-44). Head coach Jose Pina attributed the Violets’ difficulties to Rutgers’ tremendous defense.

“We outhit them on serve receive, and served better than they did, but their floor defense and blocking, as well as their experience in these circumstances, provided them with many point scoring opportunities that they took advantage of,” Pina said.

Familiar faces filled the Violet’s statsheet. Sophomore middle hitter Chase Corbett led the team in kills with 12, while senior opposite Phil Bueno and senior captain Nick Benson combined for 19 more. American Volleyball Collegiate Association Player of the Week Derrick Chiu finished with 39 assists and five digs, only behind Bueno’s seven.

The Violets are back in action in Poughkeepsie, New York against Vassar College on Thursday. The team will host family and senior day the next day at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility against Marymount University. With the season winding down, Pino still sees a productive run for his team.
“While we have not won as much as we wanted, we have become a better team,” Pina said. “And this bodes well for our chances in the upcoming UVC playoffs where we will be seeded no lower than 3rd, but can move up to 2nd with some help from our conference mates this coming weekend.”

Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].