The Iowa volleyball team came up short against Illinois across four sets of competition on Sunday, falling 3-1.
Fourth-year Michelle Urquhart led the Hawkeyes offensively with a career high of 20 kills. Urquhart also led defensively with 13 digs, followed by fifth-year Joy Galles with 10.
The first set established a battle between the two conference rivals. Iowa posted the first point on the board with a kill from fourth-year Gracie Gibson, but Illinois fired back, tying the game early at 7-7 and grabbing a lead that would last the remainder of the set.
Although the Hawkeyes worked hard to close the gap, the Illini ultimately seized the opportunity and snatched the first set, 25-21.
Illinois scored first to start the second set, but a kill from Urquhart kicked off the start of an early Iowa lead. The Illini quickly brought the set back in their favor, forcing their way to a narrow 20-18 lead near the end of the set, with the Hawkeyes hot on their tail throughout.
While Iowa’s offense kept close to Illinois with six ties and two lead changes across the second set, the Illini pulled away for another 25-21 triumph.
The third set saw eight ties and three lead changes, with both Big Ten teams grappling for every point. With a two-set advantage, however, the momentum favored Illinois at the start. The Hawkeyes held their own, forcing an Illini timeout as the set’s end drew nearer, before tying the frame at 25.
Iowa was able to force a fourth set of play with a 27-25 win in extra points, ending Illinois’ bid for a sweep.
The Illini jumped to a quick 5-0 lead to start the fourth set, gaining momentum and forcing an Iowa timeout. The Hawkeyes retaliated and put points of their own on the board, eventually closing the gap to 8-5 in the process.
Illinois continued to extend the lead and held on for the 25-13 win to secure the match.
“I really think we out-teamed them,” Urquhart said. “A loss always sucks, but this loss definitely feels different and you can see it on the court.”
“I’m proud of our teamwork, that everybody was locked in, gave their best effort,” Iowa head coach Jim Barnes said. “We just put our nose down and worked hard as a team. That gave us a chance to win.”
Up next
Iowa travels to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Oct 31. The match is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m, with live television coverage from the Big Ten Network.