By James Kay
The Hawkeye volleyball had mixed results after its road trip to Rutgers and No. 11 Penn State this past weekend.
The entire Iowa roster was used to beat the Scarlet Knights.
Freshman Cali Hoye made the most of her nine chances, as she collected 6 kills to end the night with a .556 hit percentage. Senior Loxley Keala added 32 assists, 5 digs, and 5 kills in the win. The team finished with a superb .341 hit percentage.
The results were a bit different against Penn State, which was the heavy favorite going in.
“Penn State is a national championship team, and they played like it today,” Iowa head coach Bond Shymansky said in a release.
“They were hungry to get off their four-match losing slide here in the Big Ten, so we caught that buzzsaw. It took us a while to get it going, but the positive note is we climbed as the match went on. Our hitting percentage got better and better. In the third set, we were pressing and made it more competitive to give ourselves more opportunities.”
There weren’t too many things to write home about for the Hawkeyes, as they hit a season-low .030. Redshirt freshman Meghan Buzzerio had a tough time getting her game together as she finished with a meager .148 hitting percentage. Seniors Jess Janota and Lauren Brobst also struggled as they collectively hit .026 in the match. Keala chipped in 25 assists.
The Nittany Lions finished the match with a .345 hit percentage as a group. They currently lead the Big Ten in hitting percentage and opposing hitting percentage, which they demonstrated against the Hawkeyes.
Junior Simone Lee led the way for Penn State, as she tallied 9 kills on 19 chances.
The Hawkeyes had a brutal first set as they hit a season-low .212, while their opponents amassed a .286 hit percentage. The Nittany Lions finished off the Hawkeyes 25-11 in the first set and maintained their momentum throughout the rest of the match.
The second wasn’t any better for the Hawkeyes as they stumbled on offense once again. The team hit .083 compared to Penn State, who battered the Hawkeye defense with a .382 hitting percentage.
The Hawkeyes were unable to pull out of the deep hole they dug themselves into as they eventually fell to Penn State in the last set, 25-17.
The Hawkeyes will try to bounce back Wednesday against No. 1 Nebraska. The match starts at 7 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.