Iowa volleyball came up short in this week’s contests against Michigan State and Michigan. Despite major comeback runs to break even at 2-2 in both games, the Hawkeyes struggled in the fifth set both times, dropping to 10-8 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
Spartans outlast Hawkeyes
Iowa fell in five sets to Michigan State in Friday’s game in East Lansing, Michigan.
First-year Carmel Vares led the offense with 13 kills, followed by sixth-year Chard’e Vanzandt with 12 kills and three aces. Fourth-year Milana Moisio nabbed 14 digs, while fourth-year Claire Ammeraal notched a double-double of 43 assists and 10 digs.
The first set saw the Spartans outkill the Hawkeyes, 14–13, despite committing one more attack error. Through six tie scores and five lead changes, Michigan State pulled off the 25-20 win.
A messy second set saw a game high of eight attack errors from Iowa. This, coupled with only 11 kills, saw the Hawkeyes come up 10 points short in the second set, falling in a 25-15 defeat.
Iowa got back on its feet in the third set to make the contest 2-1. In the closest set of the night, the Hawkeyes capitalized on 14 kills and only two attack errors to nab a 25-23 triumph.
Iowa then tied the contest at two sets apiece in the fourth set, pulling off a 25-21 victory to force a deciding fifth set. The fourth set also saw the game’s highest number of ties, with 11 in total, but only one lead change.
The Hawkeyes’ burst of momentum fell short in the fifth set, which Iowa dropped, 15-7. Michigan State outkilled Iowa, 9-5, and committed only a single attack error versus Iowa’s four.
Wolverines claw back
Iowa fell in another five-set performance to Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Vares again led with a career-high 24 kills, while Ammeraal bagged a double-double of 58 assists and 13 digs. Moisio also nabbed a career high of 26 digs to lead the defense.
The Wolverines found early momentum in the first set, putting the first point on the board with a Hawkeye service error and keeping the subsequent lead all the way to a 25-17 victory.
Michigan further pulled ahead with a 25-22 triumph in the second set. Despite a much more competitive 11 tie scores and four lead changes, the Wolverines game high of 16 kills, coupled with half of the Hawkeyes’ attack errors, nudged Michigan to a two-set lead.
Iowa struck back in the third set, coming up short in kills but forcing nine attack errors from Michigan to pull ahead to a 25-21 margin. Of the Hawkeyes’ 12 kills, four came from Vares and another four came from third-year Hannah Whittingstall.
Similar to its effort in East Lansing, Iowa took the fourth set by forcing extra points, but still pulling off a 29-27 victory. Despite 13 tie scores and six lead changes, a whopping 24 kills from the Hawkeyes pushed them past the Wolverines and forced a tiebreaker set.
Iowa’s comeback was thwarted in the fifth set, which Michigan took, 15-11. The Hawkeyes were held to just eight kills, a primary factor in the defeat.
“Our team never gives up,” head coach Jim Barnes told HawkeyeSports. “We talked about coming out and having that aggressive mentality. As soon as we do that more consistently, we will win Big Ten matches.”
Up next
Iowa will host USC on Oct. 17 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, its first game at the venue since 2021. The contest is set to commence at 6:00 p.m. Central Time on Big Ten Plus.