DANBURY, Conn. - Junior outside hitter Julia Stoliker (Red Hook, N.Y.) smashed a match-high 14 kills to guide the Western Connecticut State University women's volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-21) shutout win over visiting non-league opponent Rutgers University - Newark on Tuesday evening at Feldman Arena. Senior setter Maggie Ferguson (Southbury, Conn.) chipped in with match-highs of 29 assists and three service aces. 

The Wolves took control in the opening set as they jumped out to an 11-4 lead. Senior outside hitter Sydney Slupatchuk (New Milford, Conn.) rounded out the run with a kill off a feed from Ferguson. They would continue to coast in the opener. 

The hosts continued to dominate early in the second stanza as they burst out of the gate for a 5-1 lead. However, the Raiders began to show signs of life as they rallied to tie the score six times throughout the set before ultimately dropping it, 25-22. 

The third set saw the visitors capture their first lead of the match, 10-7. However, the Wolves pounced back with a staggering 7-1 flurry to seize a 14-11 advantage. The spurt began courtesy of a Raiders' hitting error before Ferguson capped the run with yet another ace. WestConn appeared to be heading towards an easy win but Rutgers wouldn't go down easily. The Wolves widened the gap to 21-15 when sophomore Ava Grace Gardner (New York, N.Y.) notched a solo block. But the Raiders countered with four straight, slicing the deficit to 21-19. But, WestConn displayed their poise down the stretch to hold off the comeback attempt. Ferguson found Stoliker for back-to-back floors to cement the victory.

With the win, the Wolves improved to 14-6 overall while the Raiders plummeted to 7-16. WestConn returns to the court when they head to Little East Conference nemesis Southern Maine for a tri-match with non-league foe Worcester State on Saturday at Noon.