The Iowa volleyball team was swept by No. 1 Wisconsin, 3-0, on Wednesday to fall to 0-5 in Big Ten play.
Iowa outside hitter Caitlan Buettner led the way with 12 kills and 11 digs. Iowa outside hitter Nataly Moravec followed up with 10 kills and seven digs while Iowa setter Kaia Mateo finished the match with one kill, two digs, and 14 assists.
The first set started off promising for the Hawkeyes as they rallied to a 17-13 lead. The Badgers dominated from that point on, going on a 12-2 run to close out the set, 25-19.
Wisconsin held a 15-9 lead halfway through the second set. Iowa cut the lead down to 18-15 before Wisconsin would go on to take the set, 25-18.
The Badgers went up 7-2 early in the third set before the Hawkeyes climbed their way back with an 11-6 run to tie up the set, 13-13. From then on, Wisconsin would go on to dominate the set with a 12-3 run to close it out, 25-16.
The Hawkeyes battled with the Badgers in all three sets up until the midway point where their momentum slipped away. Iowa head coach Jim Barnes keyed in on Iowa’s serving as the difference maker.
“When we stayed in attack mode from our serving game, when we served them really tough, that’s when we had an edge,” Barnes said. “But whenever we would lose that serving edge, that’s when they flip it on us… We were winning [when we were serving well] and if we didn’t we were losing. That’s how important that part of the game is.”
Barnes also noted that passing the ball and defending the serve consistently is just as important as serving efficiently. He acknowledged opportunities to improve moving forward.
“We were battling through all three sets. The reason they turned it on us and pulled away is because we stopped passing the ball,” Barnes said. When they were serving it, we had very bad passing and that’s a tough thing to deal with… We went toe-to-toe with the best team in the country, so there’s some things to grow from.”
Buettner was dominant for the Hawkeyes despite the outcome of the match. Leading both teams in kills and digs, she made her presence felt against the top-ranked team in the nation. She believes that the team’s struggles have been mental, not physical.”
“This team is really talented. When we execute right and everything’s going the right way, we get points very quickly,” Buettner said. “But the second the other team decides to bite back, we give in… We just need to get over that mental hurdle, and then we’ll be with these big teams throughout the entire match.”
Buettner went on to describe the love she has for her team through the ups and downs while noting the need for better communication.
“I feel like for us it’s more of a communication aspect because this team is very positive. I haven’t been on a team that’s been all in for everyone in a long time,” Buettner said. “Now we just got to get on that same page to where we’re going to fight for every part of the match, regardless of the outcome.”
The Hawkeyes will look to rebound from the loss as they travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, to match up against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.
