The Iowa volleyball team nabbed three wins at the Kwik Star Classic in Coralville over the weekend, moving their record to 6-0 for the first time since 2009.
Butler
Iowa opened their home season with a 3-0 triumph over Butler on Thursday evening. The Hawkeyes totaled 52 kills to nab the sweep, with third-years Alyssa Worden and Hannah Whittingstall contributing 11 and nine kills, respectively.
Iowa took the first set, 25-17, out-killing the Bulldogs, 18-17. The Hawkeyes also held themselves to three errors in the process.
After a 25-14 win in the second set, Iowa’s momentum kept it rolling through a tumultuous third set, which included 13 tie scores and seven lead changes.
The Hawkeyes ultimately took the win after a 25-21 back-and-forth in the third, the closest set of the night.
“I think we had a really good two days of practice coming off of this last tournament,” Whittingstall said. “I think those two days of practice, especially [our] setter-hitter connection, really allowed us to all connect and trust each other a lot more.”
Illinois State
The Hawkeyes faced tougher resistance in Friday’s match against Illinois State, but still managed to sweep the Redbirds.
Despite nine attack errors, Iowa took the first set, 25-19. Second-year Aleksandra Stojanovic led with four kills.
The Hawkeyes again out-killed Illinois State in the second set, 14-9, holding themselves to three attack errors. Stojanovic posted three more kills and teamed up with first-year Carmel Vares to take the second set, 25-17.
The Redbirds ramped up the pressure in the final set, forcing the Hawkeyes into extra points. But Iowa recovered to take the set and ultimately the game.
“They played hard, played tough, but a lot of this was self-imposed,” fourth-year head coach Jim Barnes said. “We just had too many errors. We didn’t drop a set, which was good, but we put ourselves in a bad position, especially that third set.”
Loyola
Iowa’s stiffest challenge of the evening came in the weekend finale against Loyola, with a total difference of 10 points between the teams across all three sets.
Vares led all players with 11 kills over the course of the competition, while sixth-year Chard’e Vanzandt added 10 of her own.
Despite being out-killed in the first set, 17-14, the Hawkeyes kept their composure to grab a 25-23 win, repeating the effort in the second set.
Iowa pulled away from the Ramblers in the third set, snagging a 25-18 win to complete the sweep and improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2009.
“Ultimately, I want to keep our defensive intensity where it’s at,” fourth-year Claire Ammeraal said. “If we get that going and keep our middles hitting where they’re at, everything else is going to fall into place.”
Up next
The Hawkeyes travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for their next three games, beginning with a match at Southeast Missouri State at 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 11. Coverage will be provided by the Hawkeye Radio Network.