The Iowa volleyball team traveled to Iowa State on Sept. 20 and dropped the match to the Cyclones in straight sets. Iowa has now lost 10-consecutive matches to its in-state rivals, a streak dating back to 1997.

Alessandra Dietz, Alex Lovell, Mikaela Gunderson, Alyssa Klostermann, Lauren Brobst, Michelle Fugarino, and Jess Janota were the starters again this weekend, and in the early going, it appeared that this could be the year that the Hawkeyes would get a victory.

The first set was closely contested from the beginning, with Iowa leading 12-9 at one point. Several ties and lead changes later, it was knotted up at 21. With the Hawkeyes up 23-22, Iowa State went on a 3-point run to snatch away the set, 25-23.

The first set was the closest of the day, with each set a bit more convincing than the last.

Iowa again claimed an early lead, at one time ahead 9-7. This time, however, the Cyclones were able to string together some runs to claim momentum sooner. The match was tied at 14 when they rattled off 3 in a row and forced Iowa coach Bond Shymansky to take a time-out, behind 17-14.

The Cyclones came out of the break with 3 more points to take a 20-14 advantage, and the set was all but secured. The Hawkeyes did make a late run of their own, coming as close as 21-19, but dropped the set 25-22.  

Set three began with another early Iowa lead, and after some back-and-forth, a 4-point run gave them a 9-8 lead and prompted Iowa State coach Christy Johnson-Lynch to call a time-out.

It was all downhill from there for the Black and Gold. The Cyclones quickly captured a 14-10 lead and seemed to steal away the set and the match in the blink of an eye.

After the time-out, Iowa State had a 16-6 run to finish the sweep.

The loss drops the Hawkeyes to 8-3 and puts Iowa State at 5-4. Shymansky and his squad will look to bounce back when Big Ten play begins this week. They will face Nebraska in Lincoln on Wednesday and play host in their first home match on Saturday.

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