Iowa volleyball went 0-2 in its Big Ten road matchups last week, bringing the Hawkeyes’ 2022 overall record to 6-9 and 0-4 in conference play. 

On Sep. 28, Iowa traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, for its first unranked conference matchup of the 2022 season. The Hoosiers swept the Hawkeyes.

Then, on Oct. 2, Iowa headed north to take on No. 7 Minnesota and fell, 3-1. 

Iowa swept by Indiana

Indiana jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first set against the Hawkeyes. Iowa cut it to a one-point game at 6-5, but that was the closest the Hawkeyes would get. The Hoosiers took set one, 25-16, hitting .323 while holding the Hawkeyes to an .028 hitting efficiency. 

Indiana’s Morgan Geddes, who usually plays outside hitter, made her debut at middle hitter against the Hawkeyes. Geddes had no trouble with the transition as she led the Hoosiers with 12 kills and three solo blocks over the match. 

Iowa took the lead in the second set, 6-5, after a kill by middle hitter Amiya Jones. But the Hawkeyes couldn’t adjust to Indiana’s short serves, and the Hoosiers went on a 13-0 run to give them an 18-6 lead.

Hoosier setter Camryn Haworth also posed challenges for the Iowa defense, as she would spike the ball on second touch. Haworth recorded six kills on nine attempts. Iowa couldn’t get back in rhythm as Indiana eased to a 25-10 victory. 

Iowa switched to a 5-1 offensive alignment in the third set and played its best of the day. Setter Lily Tessier led the way to try and gain momentum, and Iowa hit a match-best .162 in the third set. But the Hoosiers prevailed 25-20, completing the straight set sweep. 

Jones led the Hawkeye offense against Indiana with a team-high seven kills and two blocks.

Hawkeyes lose to Gophers

Iowa went back-and-forth with Minnesota in the first set, but a late 6-0 run by the Gophers gave them a 20-14 lead. The Hawkeyes couldn’t fight back, and the Gophers took the set, 25-19. 

A kill by sophomore Toyosi Onabanjo gave the Hawkeyes a 19-17 lead in the second set, but back-to-back reception and attacking errors by the Hawkeyes gave the Gophers momentum. Minnesota took the set, 25-22. 

Minnesota’s Taylor Landfair, who ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.57 kills per set, was too much to handle for the Iowa defense. Landfair recorded 25 kills, helping the Gophers to a season-high 68 kills over the match.  

The Hawkeyes bounced back in the third set to avoid the sweep. Kills by Onabanjo, Jones, and sophomores Addie VanderWeide and Michelle Urquhart gave Iowa an early 6-2 lead. The Hawkeyes eventually sealed the set, 26-24, on a VanderWeide kill. Iowa had a match-best 18 kills in the third set on a hitting percentage of .261.

The fourth set was all Gophers from the start. An Urquhart kill tied it 1-1, but Minnesota pulled away and led by as much as 11. The Hawkeyes were held to a .057 hitting efficiency as they dropped the fourth set, 25-17.

What’s next?

Iowa travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, on Wednesday for a rematch against No. 5 Purdue. When the two teams first met inside Xtream Arena on Sep. 25, the Boilermakers took the match, 3-1.

Boilermaker freshman Eva Hudson will create a challenge for the Hawkeyes as she recorded 17 kills in the first outing against Iowa and leads the Big Ten with 5.06 kills per set.