Iowa volleyball defeats Iowa State for first win of the season
The Hawkeyes swept the Cyclones, 3-0, at Xtream Arena on Saturday to finish off the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament.
Iowa volleyball players run onto the court to celebrate their first win of the season as Iowa defeated Iowa State 3-0 at Xtream arena in Coralville on September 11 2021.
September 12, 2021
Hawkeye volleyball took down Iowa State for its first win of the season in the final match of the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament on Saturday night.
Iowa swept the Cyclones in the rivalry matchup at Xtream Arena, 3-0. The Hawkeyes moved full-time to Xtream Arena in the 2021 spring season, but did not allow fans because of COVID-19 protocols. Iowa started allowing fans to its games this fall.
“It feels amazing knowing that parents and fans are here to support you and have your back through every single point,” senior middle blocker Amiya Jones said. “In [Carver-Hawkeye Arena] sometimes you get a little bit lost because it’s so big, but in Xtream, it really feels like home.”
The Hawkeyes took hold of the match from the start, with an efficient six kills from senior outside hitter Courtney Buzzerio in the first set.
Iowa State remained tough in the first, before a 4-0 run helped Iowa pull away — the Hawkeyes went on to win the set, 25-20.
Freshman outside hitter Addie VanderWeide took control of the second set for Iowa, notching five kills, three digs, and two service aces.
Similar to the first set, the Hawkeyes and Cyclones were back and forth before kills from Jones, Buzzerio, and VanderWeide helped boost the Hawkeyes to a 25-19 second set win.
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“Addie comes in every week and proves herself,” head coach Vicki Brown said. “This is the fourth game for Addie as our starting outside, and it might have taken her a little bit of time that first week of preseason seeing a different-sized block than she did in high school. How she worked through that is really what gave us an insight of who she is as a competitor.”
The Hawkeyes completed the sweep in the third set with sophomore setter Bailey Ortega tallying 12 of her match-high 26 assists to power Iowa to a 25-21 win.
The big picture
The win on Saturday is Iowa’s first of the 2021 fall season and the 24th against the Cyclones in Cy-Hawk volleyball history. Iowa State still holds the all-time series lead with 28 wins.
Buzzerio has tallied double-digit kills in every match this season, and sophomore setter Bailey Ortega is averaging 9.429 assists per set.
The two pillars of Iowa’s offense are off to a strong start, and Jones and VanderWeide can provide consistent support to keep the Iowa offense rolling.
Jones stays efficient
Jones came into the season sporting a .289 hitting percentage — the second-highest hitting percentage in school history
On Saturday, Jones managed eight kills on 11 attacks with only one error, a hitting percentage of .636
Hinkle leads team in digs
Junior defensive specialist Mari Hinkle provided the Hawkeyes with a strong defensive performance on Saturday, tallying a team-high eight kills.
After struggling against Syracuse to start the weekend, Hinkle managed nine digs on Friday against Ball State before her strong performance against the Cyclones — providing a reliable backcourt option behind senior libero Maddie Slagle.
Up next
The Hawkeyes will travel to Colorado next weekend for the Mile High Invitational.
Iowa will face Incarnate Word and Air Force in a doubleheader on Sept. 17 before taking on the University of Denver on Sept. 18.
