Iowa volleyball dropped to 1-3 in Big Ten play following this weekend’s road losses to Oregon and Washington. The Hawkeyes were outmatched in a five-set thriller against the Ducks on Friday, before being swept by the Huskies on Saturday. The defeats leave Iowa at 10-6 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play.
Ducks outlast Hawkeyes
Iowa fell in five sets against Oregon on Friday. Despite four match points to take the win, the Hawkeyes were unable to close out the final set and steal a victory.
Sixth-year Chard’e Vanzandt and first-year Carmel Vares each tallied 18 kills to lead the offense. Fourth-years Milana Moisio and Claire Ammeraal logged 13 digs and nine digs, respectively, while the latter also recorded a season-high 49 assists.
An early 4-0 run by the Ducks created momentum for Oregon to pull away in the first set. While Iowa kept up the pressure, the Hawkeyes ultimately fell in the first set, 25-19.
Iowa took the second set over Oregon by an identical margin. As the set came to a close, two service errors from the Ducks and a service ace from Stojanovic tipped the scales in favor of the Hawkeyes, giving Iowa a 25-19 victory in the second frame.
Oregon pulled ahead in the third set, using multiple high-scoring runs to their advantage. The Ducks started off with a momentous 5-1 lead to force a Hawkeye timeout and never looked back, ending the frame on a 9-2 scoring run to clinch the triumph.
Iowa deadlocked the competition at two sets apiece with a 25-16 win in the fourth set. Equipped with a narrow lead early on, a colossal 8-0 run from the Hawkeyes catapulted them past the Ducks to force a fifth set.
Despite multiple chances to close the deal, Iowa fell just short in the fifth set. With 11 ties and five lead changes, the game’s final set was as volatile as ever, with the Hawkeyes losing a 14-12 lead and falling in extra points, 19-17.
“We played tough on the road and had chances to win the match,” head coach Jim Barnes told HawkeyeSports. “Credit Oregon for turning it around at the end of the fifth set. We showed a lot of heart tonight and were just one play away from winning it.”
Dawgs protect their doghouse
Iowa fell in a sweep against Washington in Saturday’s game, dropping to 10-6 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play.
Vanzandt again led the offense with seven kills, while second-year Hallie Steponaitis contributed six kills of her own.
In the closest set of the evening, the Hawkeyes fought back against multiple set points in the first to nudge themselves within six points of the Huskies, before Washington closed out the set, 25-19.
The Huskies further controlled the tempo in the second set, triggering multiple scoring runs that pulled Washington further ahead. After a 5-1 scoring run late in the second, the Huskies again took the victory, this time by a 25-14 margin.
Washington closed out the sweep in the third set, taking full advantage of a 7-0 run that forced an Iowa timeout and following it with an 11-2 run to gain a 23-9 lead.
Up next
Iowa heads back to the Midwest for road matchups against Michigan State on Oct. 10 and Michigan on Oct. 11. Both contests will be live-streamed on Big Ten Plus.