The Iowa volleyball team dropped both matches against Rutgers and Maryland over the weekend to remain at the bottom of the Big Ten standings with an 0-12 conference record.
The Hawkeyes began the weekend with a matchup against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Friday.
Rutgers took the first set, 25-21, after Iowa was unable to respond to a 6-1 run by the Scarlet Knights in the middle of the set.
The Hawkeyes responded in the second set as four players tallied at least three kills, pulling away late in a back-and-forth battle to close the set, 26-24, to tie the match up at one apiece.
And the third set saw Iowa take over in the second half.
After being down, 18-15, the Hawkeyes went on a 10-3 run behind middle hitter Anna Davis’ five kills to take the set, 25-21.
Rutgers turned around in the fourth set and pulled away on its own, though, as Iowa was unable to recover from a 6-1 run by the Scarlet Knights in the middle of the set. Rutgers took the set, 25-21, setting the stage for a fifth set.
That fifth set started off in a shootout before the Scarlet Knights pulled away in the second half to close it out, 15-9, for the win.
Marred by Maryland
Iowa struggled to gain its footing against Maryland right out of the gate in a return to Xtream Arena in Coralville on Saturday night.
The Hawkeyes stood their ground in the first half of the first set before the Terrapins slowly pulled away to take the set, 25-19.
And Maryland dominated the second set from start to finish.
After taking a 7-4 lead early on, the Terrapins went on an 18-4 run, giving the Hawkeyes no chance at making a comeback. Maryland took the set, 25-8, to take a 2-0 lead for the match.
Iowa kept it close in the first half of the third set before Maryland slowly started to pull away. Although the Hawkeyes cut the lead, the Terrapins quickly shut the door, taking the set, 25-21, and completing the sweep.
Iowa head coach Jim Barnes went with a lineup change by starting first-year middle hitter Rosa Vesty and first-year setter Kaia Mateo — noting both injuries and a need for energy for a change.
“We’ve got a couple people dinged up, but we’re trying to get people in there to look for answers and to put us in positions to win,” Barnes said. “It’s tough because we constantly work on [setting and passing], and we’re good in stretches, but we’re not good consistently.”
Upon reiterating the team’s struggles with consistency, Barnes said he has emphasized to the team the need to play for one another.
“They’ve got to fight for each other — fight because we represent Iowa, and that can’t ever be questioned,” Barnes said. “We’ve got to play more consistent stretches. That’s when we win the set. We show that we’re good enough to win, but we’re just not getting that consistency.”
Barnes was satisfied with the team’s performance against Rutgers, but the match against Maryland gave him a different feeling.
“[On Friday], we served and passed really well; we won that part of the game, so that gave us a chance to win, and then we get to tonight, and we don’t serve well and don’t pass well,” Barnes said. “If you don’t pass, you have no chance. When we did pass well, we were right there with them… Some players tried to step up and help, but it just wasn’t enough.”
Up next
The Hawkeyes have dwelled at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, winless in conference play this season despite a strong start to the season early on.
Iowa — in search of snapping its 12-game losing streak — will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a matchup with the Michigan Wolverines on Nov. 3.
