Iowa volleyball fell to Iowa State in Wednesday night’s annual CyHawk match, coming up short in a five-set thriller. While the Hawkeyes came back from a 2-0 deficit and tied the contest up in the fourth set, a 15-12 triumph in the fifth set gave the Cyclones the win. 

“We hate to lose to any team, but I think it was a great learning match for us,” head coach Jim Barnes said after the game. “We gave ourselves chances and the mistakes we made at those critical moments can be fixed, and there’s no better fixer than to fall short and get to watch that on film again, which we will do.”

First-year Gia McGrew led Iowa with 13 kills, followed by second-year Aleksandra Stojanovic with 12 and fourth-year Chard’e Vanzandt with 11. Senior libero Milana Moisio notched 20 digs for a career high. 

Iowa fell to 7-3 on the season, dropping three of its last four matches. 

Slow Start

While Iowa put up the first point of the night with Iowa State’s first serve coming up short, the Cyclones leapt out to an early lead, winning the race to 10 points comfortably. Things were looking grim for the Hawkeyes as they wound up facing a seven-point gap, trailing midway through the set, 17-10.

It was fourth-year setter Claire Ammeraal who gave Iowa a much-needed kill to close the gap to six, kicking off an unanswered 6-0 run for the Hawkeyes. While Iowa worked hard to mount a comeback, even deadlocking the score at 23 all, but Iowa State took the first set, 25-23.

The hitting only picked up in the second set, as the Cyclones again jumped to an early lead, winning the race to 10 by two points. After two kills from Stojanovic, Iowa State retaliated with a 6-0 streak of their own before Iowa called a timeout.

Despite a second timeout moments later, the Hawkeyes were unable to regain their footing, falling in the second set, 25-13.

“The second set was not good, and [the] first set we had a chance to win it,” Barnes said. “We’ll learn from that. You [have] to stay aggressive at the end of sets.”

Comeback Time

Iowa came out hot to start the third set, getting things going with a 4-0, one that only grew from there to a 7-2 lead. Three sets in, the Hawkeyes at last won the crucial race to 10 points, capitalizing on their momentum to take a seven-point lead.

Iowa State gradually chipped away at Iowa’s lead, cutting it down to a 16-16 draw. A kill from Stojanovic and back-to-back service aces from third-year Alyssa Worden, however, brought the Hawkeyes back into the set, allowing Iowa to take the third set, 25-21.

With a sweep officially off the table, both teams fought hard as the pressure ramped up in the fourth set. While the Hawkeyes again reached the 10-point marker first, the Cyclones kept within reach, inching their way to a tie at 19 all.

As Iowa held fast to a 23-21, working for every point to push for a fifth set, Stojanovic and first-year Carmel Vares seized the opportunity for a block to nudge the Hawkeyes one point further. Moments later, a set from Ammeraal paved the way for a kill by McGrew. 

Iowa, who had at one point trailed by two sets, were heading to a 15-point tiebreaker.

“I just wanted to hit the ball,” McGrew said. “I wanted to do anything I could for the team.”

The Hawkeyes faced tough odds in the fifth set, entering the contest 1-2 in five-set matches this season, with close losses to Southeast Missouri and Weber State serving as Iowa’s only losses of the campaign.

After an initial back-and-forth, Iowa State got its first lead of the set, up 7-5 before Iowa called their first timeout. An explosive kill from Stojanovic put the Hawkeyes within one, before a successful challenge on the next play knotted things up again at seven apiece.

While neither team led by more than two points in the entirety of the final set, Iowa State ultimately took the final set, 15-12, giving Iowa their third consecutive five-set loss of the 2025-26 campaign. For McGrew, who made her first start on Wednesday, the setbacks are only temporary. 

“I think that this is a very special team that’s going to do very special things,” McGrew said. “I think that we’re just going to gel together.”

Up next

The Hawkeyes remain in Coralville for their next four matches, playing East Texas A&M and Lindenwood in the Hawkeye Invitational on Sept. 19 and 21, respectively. 

Iowa then opens Big Ten play with Maryland on Sept. 25 and Wisconsin on Sept. 28. Big Ten Plus and the Hawkeye Radio Network will cover all four matches.