Iowa beat Indiana on Wednesday for its for second-straight victory, led by Jess Janota and Lauren Brobst.
By Kyle Mann
The Iowa volleyball team traveled to Indiana on Wednesday night and continued its winning ways by collecting its second-consecutive Big Ten victory.
The Hawkeyes claimed the match’s first point and jumped out to a 4-1 lead before a 4-point run extended their advantage to 8-3. Iowa led for most of the set, but a 5-point run by Indiana closed the gap to 16-14, prompting a time-out by Iowa head coach Bond Shymansky.
Shymansky’s team responded out of the huddle, using a 5-2 stretch to make the score 21-16 and give them the cushion they needed to finish the set, 25-19.
Shymansky inserted Ashley Mariani and Reghan Coyle into his starting lineup, and the move paid off early. Mariani led with 4 kills in the set, and Coyle contributed 2.
The second set was at gridlock from the beginning, seeing tied scores through the first 5 points. Iowa then found separation to go up, 8-5. Indiana returned, however, to tie the set at 8 and again at 9 before gaining an advantage of its own, 12-9, when Iowa took a time-out.
The Hawkeyes rallied out of the time-out once again, tying the set at 13. The teams jostled through more ties, and Iowa reclaimed the lead at 17-16. When Iowa’s advantage reached 19-17, Indiana was forced into a time-out of its own.
Iowa surged once more out of the break, and a 3-0 run to move the score to 22-17 prompted another quick time-out by Indiana.
In a position in which they have previously let a lead and a set get away from them, the Hawks had all the separation they needed to finish the set, 25-21.
Led by Jess Janota with 5 kills in the set, the rejuvenated Hawkeyes had its second 2-0 lead in Big Ten play and appeared well on their way to their second conference win in a row.
Mariani gave Iowa exactly the start it needed in the third set, with back-to-back service aces to establish an early 3-0 lead. The Hawkeyes went on to lead 7-2 before the Hoosiers reduced the gap to 8-7.
The rest of the set felt as though the Hoosiers chased after a carrot. When Iowa went up, 12-8, Indiana came back to 12-11. Iowa got back to 16-12, and Indiana came back to 17-15.
After another Indiana time-out, leading 20-15, the Hawkeyes fittingly answered the call once more. Maintaining their momentum, Iowa cruised to a 25-20 victory for the sweep.
Iowa hit .265 in the match and was led by Janota with 11 kills and a .625 attack percentage. Lauren Brobst also had 11 kills, while Mariani and Coyle finished with 7 and 6, respectively. Loxley Keala logged 33 assists, and freshmen Libby Koukol and Molly Kelly were crucial with 12 digs each.
The victory moves the Hawkeyes to 12-14 overall, 2-11 in the conference.
Iowa will next play at Purdue on Saturday.
