Iowa volleyball competed with Michigan and Michigan State over the weekend but failed to come out of Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a Big Ten victory, extending its losing streak to five-straight. 

The weekend started with a loss that was a lot closer than it looked, with the Hawkeyes putting up very similar stats to the Wolverines Oct. 11. Iowa put up two more kills than Michigan — the same number of blocks and a higher attacking percentage. Grier Hughes led the team with 17 kills, and freshman Kyndra Hansen notched four blocks. 

The loss set up a must-win game against Michigan State, and the match was a war of two teams who desperately wanted the win.

After a back-and-forth beginning of the first set, Michigan State flipped the switch and rolled the rest of the way, closing out the set on an 11-1 run. Although the Hawkeyes clawed their way back into the game after going on a 3-0 run after their first timeout, a second timeout could not provide the same momentum shift.

Michigan State picked up right where it left off by racing out to a 5-0 lead to start the second set, led by a block and a pair of kills. But Iowa fought its way back in with several long points, including a Courtney Buzzerio kill. 

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Although Iowa looked in the clear at 22-17, Michigan State made it a nervy finish. A 6-0 run by the Spartans was in vain as the Hawkeyes took the set 26-24 in nail-biting fashion.

A key decision came at set point, with a kill from Michigan State being ruled out of bounds initially. Although it appeared to be touched by a Hawkeye player, the call was upheld after a challenge from Michigan State coach Cathy George.

The two sides split the next two sets, with strong finishes from both leading to a fifth set.

Iowa’s fifth-set struggles continued, with Michigan State steamrolling the Hawkeyes, 15-3, in a set that was dominated by the Spartans from start to finish. The Hawkeyes committed five errors and had just two kills compared to Michigan State’s nine. With a rowdy bench, the Spartans played like a side confident they would come out victorious.

With the loss, the Hawkeyes dropped to 0-3 in fifth set matches, something the side is aware of and wants to turn around.

“It’s about finding a player who wants to finish a game. We have yet to find that player, and [Orr] has been doing a good job putting them into situations to see who that player is,” head coach Vicki Brown said. 

It is easy to see that it was defense that kept Michigan State in the match, with the Spartans posting 16 blocks and holding Iowa to a .115 attacking percentage. Although the Hawkeyes had 36 errors, part of it came down to the Spartans forcing Iowa to make pinpoint kills and points.

“You can’t continue to just hit one shot over and over again. It is very similar to tennis, moving the ball around. What’s your counter-shot? And so again it will be something we continue to work on,” Brown said.

Over the weekend, several freshmen made their impacts felt, including Hansen, who tallied a career high 13 kills in Sunday’s match.

“I was happy today with my performance with my blocking and swings. I feel like my tip coverage could have been better,” Hansen said. 

Orr recorded 40 assists and Halle Johnston led the team defensively with 18 digs.

“We just can’t get down on ourselves when we lose a point, which is common with a young team,” Orr said.

Next up for the Hawkeyes is a trip to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday.