By James Kay
Thanksgiving is a time in which people can reflect on their lives and be thankful for who and what is in them.
Unfortunately for the Hawkeye volleyball team, there wasn’t a ton to be thankful for over the Thanksgiving holiday.
After breaking a three-match losing streak against Rutgers on Nov. 16, Iowa had a chance to end its season at the top of the Big Ten. It instead ended its season with three losses against No. 1 Nebraska, No. 3 Wisconsin, and No. 14 Michigan State.
Here is the breakdown of what happened during this past week.
Nov. 19 — Nebraska
While being swept in straight sets in front of their home court was a tough pill to swallow, the Hawkeyes did have a night worth celebrating.
Iowa broke the single-match attendance record at Carver-Hawkeye with 4,131 fans showing up. The previous record was set on Nov. 7, 2009, against Penn State, when 3,102 fans came out to support the Hawkeyes.
“Today, we just blew through the attendance record here at Carver,” Iowa head coach Bond Shymansky said in a release on Nov. 19. “I’m really thankful for all the Hawkeye fans who came out and supported us tonight, and I’m grateful for all the people that made that happen. We want to take advantage of a great home stand here, and they are helping us do that.”
In the game, a Nebraska team that has dominated the Big Ten this season overmatched the Hawkeyes.
Senior Loxley Keala notched her fifth double-double of the season (23 assists and 10 digs). Sophomore Reghan Coyle, junior Jess Janota, and senior Lauren Brobst contributed 7 kills each, and Janota led the team with a .400 hitting percentage.
Nov. 23 — Wisconsin
The Hawkeyes were unable to avenge their loss to earlier in the season, as they fell to Wisconsin on the road. While losing on the road once again was difficult, Shymansky was proud of his team’s effort.
“When you come into a top-ranked team’s gym on Senior Night, there’s a lot of energy and emotion out there, but I thought we responded really well after the first set and played some great volleyball,” he said in a release. “I’m proud of our group and how far we’ve come. Everything is about the process and the progress for us, and you can see it in our group. You can see it in the way we are willing to execute.”
Janota led the charge with 12 kills and a spectacular .550 hitting percentage. Coyle had 8 kills, while Brobst and Ashley Mariani had 7 each.
Nov. 26 — Michigan State
The Hawkeyes ended their regular season on a sour note when they were unable to take out Michigan State.
The loss was overtaken by the pregame ceremony on Senior Night. Seniors Alyssa Klosterman, Ashley Mariani, Brobst, and Keala were honored by the 2,047 fans who showed for the match.
“There’s no denying that we are building something great here, and these seniors are a big part of that,” Shymansky said in a release. “I can’t say enough about the Hawkeye fans and the support we got this year. What a great crowd tonight. Great support for our young women. People are believing. They are believing what we believe inside the program, and we want to make sure we capitalize on that as we move forward.”
