Iowa volleyball dropped two Big Ten road matchups last weekend at Rutgers and Maryland, 3-0 and 3-1, respectively. The Hawkeyes have now lost eight consecutive matches. 

The Hawkeyes are 1-13 in conference play and 7-18 overall under first-year head coach Jim Barnes. Iowa’s lone conference win came in five sets versus Indiana on Oct. 8 inside Xtream Arena. 

Iowa at Rutgers

The Hawkeyes first traveled to the Scarlet Knights on Friday.

Rutgers won the first set, 25-14. The Hawkeyes kept up with the Scarlet Knights until the five-point mark, but Rutgers maintained the lead after an Iowa service error.

Hawkeye outside hitter Audrey Black made her first start of the year, recording one kill in the set. Iowa was held to a negative hitting efficiency in the first set with seven kills and eight errors on 32 attempts. The Scarlet Knights hit .294 in the first set with 14 kills. 

Rutgers carried its momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead and causing an Iowa timeout. While the Hawkeyes mustered four consecutive late points, the Scarlet Knights took the second set, 25-14. Iowa was held to a negative hitting percentage again in the second set, registering seven kills and nine errors on 31 attempts.

While the Hawkeyes kept the third set close, the Scarlet Knights successfully swept the match with a third-set win of 25-23.

Iowa was held to a season-low .000 hitting efficiency over the match with 23 kills and 23 errors. Jones led Iowa with six kills, followed by Toyosi Onabanjo and outside hitter Michelle Urquhart with five kills each. 

The Scarlet Knights rank last in the Big Ten with 10.78 kills per set and 10.08 assists per set, but they out-killed and out-assisted the Hawkeyes by 16 and 11, respectively. 

RELATED: Volleyball notebook | Iowa, conference contenders in final stretch of 2022-23 season

Iowa at Maryland

Iowa lost its first matchup of the season versus Maryland, 3-1, on Oct. 27 inside Xtream Arena. When Iowa traveled to Maryland on Sunday, the Hawkeyes lost by the same margin.

The first set started in favor of the Hawkeyes as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind kills by setter Lily Tessier and Urquhart.

𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 🔨🔨🔨@amiyatheicon puts it DOWN!#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/nvn51VmQYH

— Iowa Volleyball (@IowaVolleyball) November 6, 2022

Back-to-back kills by Urquhart gave Iowa its biggest lead of the set, 23-18, forcing a Maryland timeout. Iowa pulled away and won the first set, 25-21. The Hawkeyes hit .265 while holding the Terrapins to a .143 hitting efficiency in the first set.

The Hawkeyes and Terrapins were back-and-forth throughout the second set. While Iowa led early, Maryland took a four-point lead in the middle of the set. Iowa responded with a 6-1 run, eventually taking a 19-17 lead. 

While the Terrapins fought back, the Hawkeyes knotted the set at 23. Maryland scored the next two points for a 25-23 victory.

𝐓𝐎𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄!! ⏰⏰@ToyosiOnabanjo has BACK-TO-BACK ACES FOR THE #HAWKEYES 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/0PhXoyMocT

— Iowa Volleyball (@IowaVolleyball) November 6, 2022

Maryland dominated the entire third set, leading by as much as 11 points throughout the set to win 25-14. Iowa was held to a match-low .031 hitting efficiency in the third set while Maryland hit .370.

Maryland went up, 15-11, in the fourth set, and Iowa responded with a 5-0 run to take the lead, 16-15, forcing a Terrapin timeout. A kill by Amiya Jones gave Iowa a three-point lead — its biggest of the set. The Hawkeyes were at set point after a kill by Onabanjo, but the Terrapins ended the set on a 5-1 run to claim victory, 27-25. 

Maryland, who ranks first in the Big Ten with 3.35 blocks per set, was held to five blocks over the match. Iowa, who ranks last in the Big Ten with 1.82 blocks per set, also recorded five blocks. 

What’s next?

Iowa continues its road stretch at No. 4 Nebraska on Friday. Match time is set for 6 p.m. and it will be streamed on BTN+. 

The Hawkeyes have never beaten the Cornhuskers in 35 matches between the teams.