GREENVILLE, N.C. – The William & Mary volleyball team received significant contributions from its freshmen during a 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) setback against Big Ten foe Rutgers in the ECU Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The Tribe is now 0-2, while the Scarlet Knights move to 1-1.
 
After dropping the first set, W&M got off to a quick start in the second period as senior Sydney Biniak hammered a kill for an early 3-1 advantage. Both teams traded blows throughout the frame with rookie Lauren Moussaid penetrating the RU defense for an 8-all tie. Moussaid's third spike of the set trimmed the Scarlet Knight's advantage to 13-12. However, a late 6-2 run by Rutgers allowed the team to claim game two.
 
The back-and-fourth affair carried into the third set with little separation in point differential. The Knights took a quick lead until W&M scored four consecutive points, including a kill each from freshmen Kate Dedrick and Julia Brown, to even up the period at 6-all. The combination of Dedrick and Brown would allow the Tribe to claim a 9-8 margin. Deep in the frame, W&M scored three unanswered on the strength of two Biniak spikes to knot up the score at 19-all. However, RU broke away again on a 6-3 spark, concluding the contest.
 
Notes

• The match marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
• The Tribe's freshman contributed 64 percent of the team's total kills.
• For the second consecutive outing, Biniak was W&M's top attacker with eight kills. She needs nine more kills to replace Mallory Brickerd '15 as program's third-best all-time leader in the 25-point scoring system. The four-year veteran also assisted on three blocks.
• Moussaid collected six kills in just 15 attempts with one error (.333 attack percentage). She earned half her spikes in the second set.
• Brown and Dedrick tallied five kills each and both were also a force at the net. Brown totaled a team-high four blocks, included a solo stop, after stuffing three attacks last night against East Carolina. Dedrick walled three more attacks behind two assists and a solo effort.
• W&M generated its most productive outing in the third game, smashing 14 kills in 38 attempts with six errors (.221 attack percentage).
• Sophomore Autumn Brenner and junior Katie Kemp posted 12 assists each. Kemp also served a pair of aces, both of them coming in the first set.
• Rookie Katie Turner led the squad in digs (10) for the second consecutive match.

Up Next
The Green and Gold will finish out the East Carolina Invitational against a familiar foe in former Colonial Athletic Association member Georgia State. First serve is slated for 4:30 p.m.