The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Volleyball falls flat in battle with Illinois

The Hawkeyes have one match left to battle back from an intense loss.
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The Daily Iowan; Photo by Ben Sm
Iowa’s Jess Janota (29) spikes the ball during the match between Iowa and Penn State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. The Hawkeyes lost to the Nittany Lions 3-0. (Ben Smith/The Daily Iowan)

With postseason chances slipping away, the Iowa volleyball team stumbled on Nov. 22 in Urbana/Champaign, as Illinois pulled out the brooms for a 3-0 victory in the Hawkeyes’ last midweek match of the regular season.

In the first set, the Hawkeyes battled the Illini. But with the score tied at 18, Illinois took control and allowed Iowa only a single point as it glided to a 25-19 victory.

Illinois took that momentum into the last two sets. The Illini won the second, 25-13, and the Hawkeye offense recorded a minus-.038-attack percentage. Illinois then sealed the match with a 25-12 third-set win.

“We were in a great position there in the first set, competing hard and up 18-16, but we could not regain our focus and our team intensity,” Iowa head coach Bond Shymansky said in a release. “That’s what happens on the road in the Big Ten. We preach this all the time. You have to be so tenacious, and you have to be steely about your willpower and be able to dig back in.”

Senior middle blocker Jess Janota led the Iowa offense with 11 kills and a .421 attack percentage. No other Hawkeye had more than 10 kills.

Iowa will face No. 5 Nebraska in the final match of the regular season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 25 in Lincoln.

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About the Contributor
Anna Kayser, Sports Editor/Assistant Pregame Editor
Email: [email protected] Anna Kayser is the Sports Editor and Assistant Pregame Editor at The Daily Iowan. She began her college career as a news reporter before moving to the Politics team with a focus on the work of Sen. Chuck Grassley. In her sophomore year, she spent both semesters as a sports beat reporter covering Hawkeye volleyball and softball. She was the fall semester Assistant Sports Editor in her junior year.