Iowa volleyball takes top-25 loss to Boilermakers
Iowa volleyball had its eyes set on another upset of a top-25 team as it faced No. 17 Purdue on Saturday night, but the Boilermakers had other plans.
Freshman Amiya Jones hits the ball during Iowa volleyball against Purdue at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Purdue defeated Iowa 3-2.
October 15, 2018
Carver-Hawkeye was packed for Iowa volleyball’s match against No. 17 Purdue on Oct. 13, giving the program the third-largest crowd in its history.
Largely because of the team’s recent success, Iowa volleyball fans were out in full force. They received a high-intensity, five-set marathon in return.
Despite the big crowd, the Boilermakers were ready to play and handed the Hawkeyes a 3-2 loss.
Grace Cleveland and Brooke Peters were both high producers for Purdue in the first set, each putting up 4 kills. They were aided by a defense that held the Hawkeyes to a low .184 hitting percentage, using 4 blocks by Purdue in the first set.
That allowed the Boilermakers to claim the first set, 25-18.
Taylor Louis and Cali Hoye were unable to get things started in the first set, putting up only 2 kills apiece. However, the pair got it going for the Hawkeyes in the second set.
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The Iowa defense adjusted to Purdue’s offensive play in the second; the Hawkeyes lowered the Boilermaker hitting percentage from .444 in the first to .256 in the second.
Hoye contributed to this defensive effort by putting up the Iowa block that staved off the possibility of a Purdue run. Iowa then cruised to a fairly uneventful 25-20 set win.
The Hawkeyes dug themselves a hole at the beginning of the third set, down 9-6 early. However, Reghan Coyle caught some steam and posted 3-straight kills to tie the set at 9.
The defense was very strong for the Hawkeyes in the third set, posting 4 blocks and keeping Purdue to a .059 hitting percentage. Strong defense gave the Hawkeyes the third set, 25-19.
With the offensive production from Sherridan Atkinson and Cleveland, the Boilermakers responded and forced a fifth set, winning the fourth, 25-22
The Hawkeyes struggled to get an edge in the fifth. Purdue had the advantage it needed, and held Iowa to a .000 hitting percentage with the Hawkeyes putting up 5 errors in the set.
“Little stuff on our side that we could’ve controlled a little bit better, I think, was the difference in the game because it was so close,” Coyle said. “Five-set losses are always tough.”
Purdue claimed the fifth set, 15-10, and left Carver-Hawkeye with the victory.
“We just had no momentum early,” head coach Bond Shymansky said. “[Purdue] just got big plays when it needed them.”
The Hawkeyes have another long week ahead of them with matches against No. 3 Minnesota and No. 8 Wisconsin.
Purdue is another top-25 team this season, so Iowa is pleased that it is competing hard with high-caliber squads. This match will still give Iowa a certain amount of confidence.
“[We are] continuing to stay confident, knowing that we can play with those top-ranked teams,” Louis said.
That Iowa is taking highly ranked teams all the way down to the wire will be noticed as the team searches for that coveted NCAA Tournament berth.
