Iowa volleyball ran into a tough weekend in Washington state, losing two matches to ranked teams in the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge. The Hawkeyes fell, 3-1, to No. 21 Colorado on Sept. 1 after losing, 3-1, to No. 13 Washington on Aug. 31.

Iowa opened the first set against the Buffaloes with a blast of energy from senior Taylor Louis. The outside hitter smashed two strong kills before Colorado came back to tie at 3. The Buffaloes continued to fight back, shutting Iowa down in a 3-point run. The Hawkeyes never recovered and ultimately dropped the first set, 25-19.

The second set came close for Iowa with sophomore Brie Orr serving an ace to push the team into a 5-3 lead. Close volleys kept the game close until the Buffaloes broke away with a 4-point run. Freshman Hannah Clayton pushed Iowa within 2, contributing a strong kill and block from the middle, but it wasn’t enough, and the Hawkeyes lost, 25-21.

Iowa trailed, 17-12, in the third set until senior Reghan Coyle and junior Cali Hoye slammed home kills at the net and kicked off an Iowa run to tie the score at 22. Coyle pushed the Hawkeyes ahead once again, and Louis sealed the deal with her fifth kill of the set.

The Hawkeyes carried the momentum into the fourth set, but couldn’t hold on long enough. The Buffaloes embarked on a long run that gave them a 15-7 lead. Iowa grabbed only 6 more points in the final set before falling.

On the first day in the Pacific Northwest, Iowa fell to No. 13 Washington after four sets. After capturing a first-set lead, the Huskies ultimately outlasted the Hawkeyes.

Iowa stayed close to Washington and used a block by freshman Amiya Jones to snatch a 2-point lead. Louis snagged four of the last seven points for Iowa to clinch the first set. Orr and freshman Courtney Buzzerio chalked up 11 assists.

The Hawkeyes stayed in contention to start the second set until Washington went on a 6-point run. Iowa responded to close the gap to 19-18. But the Huskies pulled away at the end. Orr tallied 12 more assists and contributed a couple digs.

Hoye and Louis plastered two kills to give Iowa a 4-1 lead in the third set. The hitters helped to hold the lead for a while, but the Huskies fought back to tie the game at 19. A few close volleys moved the tie to 23, and Washington closed with the final two set-points.

The final match was no different, with the teams tying five times before either reached 10 points. The Hawkeyes then gave up 4 points, and Washington pushed ahead. Hoye and Louis contributed 4 kills each, but they weren’t enough for a comeback. Iowa only scored 7 more points, falling, 25-16.

Even with the two losses, a handful of Hawkeyes contributed exemplary performances. Louis, who was named to an All-Tournament team for the second week in a row, racked up 37 kills, recording 18 or more kills in a game for the third time this season.

Hoye also contributed a career-high 16 kills, and Clayton led Iowa with 4 block assists on Aug. 31.

The Hawkeyes will take a short trip this weekend to the Drake Invitational to face South Dakota State and Drake on Sept. 8. Iowa will return for its first home match of the season, against Eastern Illinois at 2 p.m. Sept. 9.