BROOKLYN -- Rutgers-Newark improved to 5-0 with a 3-0 win over Pratt Institute Thursday night in non-conference women's volleyball play at the Pratt ARC.
Rutgers' Haylee Merrill led all players with 15 kills on 30 swings, good for a .433 attack percentage, and Tabitha Davis' robust .714 hitting percentage led all players, as the junior efficiently totaled 10 kills on 14 attacks.
For Pratt, junior Hannah Calderwood sent back a match-high four blocks, three coming on assists, and led the team with nine digs. Abby Nagy handed out six assists, but the Cannoneers hit only -.075 as a team in falling to 0-4 on the season.
Back-to-back Merrill service aces opened an 8-1 lead to start the night, but a pair of Scarlet Raiders attack errors brought Pratt to within 10-6. A 7-0 Rutgers run featuring consecutive Andrea Antal kills extended the lead to 24-7 as the visitors went on to a 25-12 Game 1 win.
In Game 2, Calderwood and Joanna Yeung combined on a block assist that brought Pratt to within 8-5, and Charlotte Burch's kill made it a 13-6 contest. Back-to-back Nathalie Breining aces upped the margin to 17-6 as Rutgers-Newark sailed to a 25-10 second set victory.
Consecutive Burch aces tied Game 3 at 4-4, but a Merrill kill as part of a 10-3 run broke the set open 14-7 in favor of the visitors. Pratt rallied by scoring seven of the next eight, including a 6-0 run capped by a Madelyne Grabowski ace and a kill from the sophomore. The Scarlet Raiders scored the final five on a Davis kill and four Pratt errors, going on to a 25-15 win.
The Cannoneers return to action on Saturday at the team's first-ever home tri-match, playing host to the College of St. Elizabeth at 10:00 a.m. and New Jersey City University at 2:00 p.m.
