By James Kay
The Hawkeye volleyball team was unable to pull out a win against Iowa State on Sept. 9 but did improve to 8-2 on the season with wins against Montana and North Dakota
The Cyclones were able to take out the Hawkeyes outside hitters, a big key in their 3-0 victory. It was the first time this season that no one on the Hawkeyes recorded double digits in kills.
Senior Lauren Brobst led the team with 9, and senior Loxley Keala added 26 assists. That was Keala’s lowest total of assists this season.
Iowa State outscored the Hawkeyes 58-37 while also putting up a strong defensive stand with 10 blocks. The Cyclones improved to 4-2 after the win.
The Hawkeyes entered their match against the Cyclones looking to establish themselves as one of the powerhouses of the Big Ten.
Sophomore Kasey Reuter said earlier in the week the Iowa State game was “going to be a good measuring stick for where we stand in the conference.”
Getting swept in Ames certainly isn’t great for the confidence barometer with Big Ten play coming in two weeks, but the Hawkeyes have laid a good foundation for the season.
The weekend wasn’t a complete bust for the Hawkeyes. They bounced back on Sept. 10 against Montana and only allowed 39 points in three sets. Reuter led the charge offensively, tallying 9 kills and 4 aces. Junior Annika Olsen played well defensively, leading the team with 16 digs.
Head coach Bond Shymansky was encouraged by his team’s effort on Sept. 10.
“It was a fantastic team effort today,” he said in a release. “All of them came in, and they didn’t just play a role, they contributed significantly. I’m really proud of our group’s resiliency after last night’s tough defeat.”
The Hawkeyes work for the weekend was not done, however — they had to go up against North Dakota State six hours later. They rose to the challenge and completed their sixth sweep in 10 games, 3-0.
The Hawkeyes hit a phenomenal .330 against North Dakota State and also pounded the Bison defense with 47 kills, with Brobst leading with 11. Brobst has led the team in kills in six of the 10 matches the Hawkeyes have played this season.
Keala also added team-high 38 assists.
Shymansky was impressed with his team’s overall effort this past weekend.
“Really great fortitude by our group to come out and get a resounding victory over a really good North Dakota State team,” he said in a release. “It’s a long weekend, and it would be easy to just try to put it on cruise control, but I’m glad our group keeps investing in each other and investing in our true mental toughness.”
The Hawkeyes have one more weekend of nonconference play before heading to Michigan State to start Big Ten play on Sept. 23.