This isn’t going to be an easy case to make, but I’ll try my best.

Sure, the Iowa volleyball team can be on top of its game at home against a No. 6 team, but if it really is that good, then why isn’t it good all the time?

Iowa doesn’t stand a chance against any team in the NCAA Tournament. Sure, the Hawkeyes beat Wisconsin and took one set from Nebraska, the reigning national champions, but in the sets they lost to those two teams, they put up embarrassing hitting percentages.

There’s still a lot of season left to be played in the NCAA’s toughest volleyball conference. Iowa has to play Nebraska and Wisconsin again, Penn State, Minnesota, and Purdue (twice). Four out of five of those top-25 teams come in the top 10. Yikes.

Not to even mention the eight matchups they have against unranked teams. They have to win all of those — something that hasn’t been a problem thus far — to make a strong case.

The Hawkeyes have to play top-caliber volleyball in every single match they play from here on out. A couple losses against top teams isn’t going to hurt, that’s natural selection, but they have to be hard-fought losses, and the Hawkeyes might not have it in them.

Again, this is a hard position to battle, and in the end the Hawkeyes’ victory over Wisconsin may well be the tipping point that finally awards them an NCAA tourney spot. In past years, the Hawkeyes have been on the brink but have never secured that big win. Now, they have, with plenty of the season to still prove their worth.

If you haven’t paid attention to Iowa volleyball, now’s the time to start.