Morristown, N.J.- The College of Saint Elizabeth's volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 NEAC) fought hard in their first game of the year before dropping the contest 3-0 (23-25, 22-25,  to Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday night.

In set one, the Eagles jumped out to an early 6-2 lead thanks to three straight service points by Carolina Marte. After Rutgers-Newark cut the lead to 7-5, freshman Mikaela Gongora put away a perfectly places kill to give the Eagles an 8-5 lead. The Scarlet Raiders battled back to take a 13-12 lead halfway through set 1. Despite falling behind, th Eagles regained a 17-15 lead behind a service ace by Marte. After falling behind 22-19, the Eagles rattled off the next 3 points to tie the score up at 22. Despite the game being tied at 23, the Scarlet Raiders won the next 2 points and took the set 25-23.

After Rutgers-Newark took a quick 3-0 lead in set 2, the Eagles forced 2 straight errors to get to within 1. CSE bounced back to take an 8-6 lead after Marte put away a perfectly placed spike. The set went back and forth as Rutgers-Newark regained a 13-12 lead, leading to a CSE timeout midway through set 2. With CSE trailing 20-17, Gongora rallied off 2 straight service points to get the Eagles to within 20-19. After the set became all squared at 21, Rutgers-Newark took the next 3 points to take a 24-21 lead. Despite the Eagles winning the next point, the Scarlet Raiders took the set 25-22.

Ashley Morera got the Eagles on the board in set 3, putting away a kill to get CSE to within 3-1. Gongora continued to be a force at the net for the Eagles in set 3, putting away another beautifully placed kill to get the Eagles within 2. The Scarlet Raiders won the next 4 points to open up a 9-3 lead. Trailing 11-7, Christy Marte stuffed home a spike to get the Eagles within 3. After Rutgers-Newark opened up a 14-8 lead, CSE took the next 2 points to get within 4. After Rutgers-Newark took a 19-15 lead, Christy Marte put away a kill to bring the Eagles to within 19-16, leading to a Rutgers timeout. Nicole Morera and Christy Marte combined for a block at the net, getting the Eagles back within 3. Despite cutting into the lead, the Eagles would not be able to get any closer, dropping the third set 25-22.

Nicole Morera finished with a team high 34 assists while Mikeala Gongora had a team high 12 kills. CSE returns to action on Saturday when they head to Wayne for a tri-match with William Paterson and St. Joseph's Brooklyn, starting at 11 am.