A busy weekend for the Hawkeyes was capped off with a tight five-set match in the annual Cy-Hawk game against Iowa State, which Iowa lost, 3-2. 

It was Iowa State who raced out to an early two-set lead, winning 25-18 and 25-22. The Cyclones dominated the first set, with Iowa State keeping the lead throughout the entirety of the set. 

The second set was a much tighter affair, with a Brie Orr kill giving the Hawkeyes some life during the middle of the set. Iowa State ultimately prevailed after a late surge saw it pull away.

Although it lost the second set, Iowa grew into the match and set itself up well for the remainder of the game. 

The Hawkeyes took the next two sets, with the team performing especially well in the fourth set. The Hawkeyes went up 11-3 to start the fourth set and were in control the rest of the way.

It was a combination of Iowa State’s sloppiness and Iowa’s momentum and more ruthless attack that let Iowa come crawling back, with Iowa State only earning six total kills in the third and fourth sets combined.

The momentum was definitely with Iowa after some admirable and brave play led them back into the match. Carver-Hawkeye Arena was on its feet after the end of the fourth set, where Iowa won very comfortably, 25-18.

The Hawkeyes fell just short however, after Iowa State ultimately rallied back some momentum to take the fifth set 15-10, where the Cyclones recorded five more kills than the Hawkeyes.

There were several standout performers for the Hawkeyes, including Courtney Buzzeiro who had 19 kills and Griere Hughes with 14.

The win is Iowa State’s first since 2017, when the Cyclones won 3-0.