Iowa went 2-1 at the Northern Illinois Invitational in DeKalb.

By Kyle Mann
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The Iowa volleyball squad got its 2015 season off to a solid start this past weekend, going 2-1 at the Northern Illinois Invitational.

The Hawkeyes won their season-opener against South Dakota State in straight sets early on Aug. 29, then outlasted Pacific in a five-set test of endurance later that afternoon.Sunday’s match against the hosting Huskies went down to the wire, but the Hawkeyes lost in four sets.

Iowa jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the first set against South Dakota State and continued to dominate behind 5 kills from junior Lauren Brobst en route to a 25-13 victory.

Four kills each from Brobst, junior Taylr McNeil, and senior Mikaela Gunderson led the way in a 25-18 victory in the second set. The Jackrabbits didn’t have much left in the tank for the third and final set, and the Hawkeyes completed the sweep, 25-12.

Brobst led with 14 kills in the match on a .650 hitting percentage, with Gunderson close behind with 9 on .692. McNeil finished with 7 kills, while Annika Olsen led with 13 digs and Loxley Keala with 31 assists.

Brobst, Gunderson, and junior Ashley Mariani picked up where they left off in the day’s second match, with 4 kills each in the opening set against Pacific. After eight ties, the Hawkeyes won the set, 25-23.

Sophomore Jess Janota warmed up in the second set, notching 6 kills in a 25-18 victory to give Iowa a 2-0 advantage.

The Hawkeyes dropped the next two sets but were in an oddly familiar and comfortable scenario. Coach Bond

Shymansky’s young team went 8-1 in matches that went beyond three sets in 2014, and it showed a similar resiliency on Aug. 29.

Iowa put together an 8-2 run to power a 15-12 victory in the final set, with Janota claiming the final 3 kills.

Janota finished with 17 kills, Brobst had 16, Gunderson had 9, and McNeil and Mariani had 8 apiece. Keala also had 52 assists, which is 19 more than any Hawkeye had last season.

Iowa led the first set against the Huskies on Sunday, 21-14, but fizzled down the stretch and dropped the set, 27-25. Northern Illinois then took control of the second set early and cruised to a 22-15 victory.

The Hawkeyes, however, weren’t finished. After falling behind 5-1 in the third set, they used a 6-0 run to take a 7-6 lead, which soon grew to 15-9. Northern Illinois battled back, but Iowa held it off to secure the set, 25-21.

Iowa once trailed in the fourth set, 19-13, but roared back to tie the set at 20. Janota, Brobst, and Gunderson powered the Hawkeye offense, but several ties later, Northern Illinois won the set and the match, 30-28 (3-1).

Brobst led with 21 kills, Janota had 13, and Gunderson finished with 11. Keala in the middle had 51 assists.

The Hawkeyes will be in action next weekend in Honolulu for the Hawaii Tournament.

Follow @KyleFMann on twitter for news, updates, and analysis on the Iowa volleyball team.