Rutgers’ transformation began with the arrival of head coach Caitlin Schweihofer, in January 2020. She couldn’t coach the team in official matches that season because of the COVID pandemic, but the Scarlet Knights displayed signs of improvement in 2021, achieving numerous program and Big Ten firsts, including first-ever wins over Indiana and Michigan State. Last year, Rutgers went on to win a pair of conference matches.
The Scarlet Knights have been very solid in preseason, winning eight of their ten non-conference matches, and have built some momentum ahead of the start of conference play.
“When I took this position, I had a very clear vision for the process that it was going to take in order to build this program into something that's sustainably successful,” Schweihofer commented. “We're headed into our fourth season, and I think we're right in line with where my expectations were. It's really important to make sure that those core values are established and set and that the team is really aligned with what the vision is for not only this year but the program moving forward over the next several years.”
One of the new faces of the team in 2021, Australian redshirt sophomore outside hitter Alissa Kinkela is following the team’s growth and has emerged as one of Rutgers’ main players during the early days of the 2023 season.
