Box Score

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Big Red volleyball team came up short in its final game at the Seton Hall Tournament, falling 3-1 to Rutgers by scores of 25-27, 25-22, 17-25, 25-27. Senior libero Natasha Rowland finished the match with 25 digs to move into the top 10 in Cornell history for career digs with 930. For her effort over the course of the four matches, Rowland was named to the all-tournament team.
 
Freshman Emily Wemhoff had a career-high 17 kills and eight digs, while Maddy Sroufe had 15 kills and just five errors on 42 attempts for a team-high .238 hitting percentage. Sroufe also posted a career-high 17 digs. Setter Alyssa Phelps had a solid game with 39 assists, 12 digs and five kills with just one error on 10 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage. Cornell's Chelsea Sincox also finished with 10 digs.
 
Rutgers (4-2) was led by Meme Fletcher's 18 kills, and Lauren Cloyd tallied 11, while Alex Lassa and Mikaela Matthews chipped in nine kills apiece. Fletcher also added 18 digs. Setters Anna Sudbury and Talia Holze finished with 30 and 15 assists, respectively, while Ali Schroeter finished with a match-high 26 digs.
 
The Scarlet Knights took an early 8-5 lead in the first set, but a pair of kills and a service ace by Sroufe, as well as  a kill by Wemhoff helped the Big Red knot the set at 9-9. The Big Red slowly took control of the match and built a 17-12 lead after a setting error by Holze, but the Scarlet Knights responded with an 8-2 run to regain the lead at 20-19. Cornell earned three unanswered points to regain the lead at 22-20, but Rutgers' offense came alive with three kills to knot the game at 23-23. A Rutgers' service error gave the Big Red set-point, but Lassa won the point with a kill to tie the set once more at 24-24. The set would be tied once more at 25-25 before the Scarlet Knights earned back-to-back kills from Fletcher to take the 27-25 victory.
 
The second set featured nine ties and five lead changes, but a kill by Sroufe and a service ace by Macey Wilson put Cornell ahead 19-17 and gave the Big Red a lead it would not relinquish. Rutgers made it a one-point game five times down the stretch but back-to-back kills from Phelps and Wemhoff sealed the 25-22 win for the Big Red.
 
Rutgers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in a 25-17 decision.
 
The Scarlet Knights rode the momentum into the fourth set, getting out to a 10-5 lead, but the Big Red turned the tables and went on a 10-5 run of its own to knot the set at 15-15. The teams traded points until back-to-back points gave Cornell its only lead of the set at 24-23. Rutgers responded with a 4-1 run to close the match with the 27-25 win.
 
The Big Red is back in action next weekend when it travels to the Bucknell Tournament. Cornell will face UConn on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. before taking on the host Bison the following evening at 5 p.m.