Iowa volleyball fell in a three-set sweep to No. 23 UCLA at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes, while competitive in the second set, were weighed down by 18 attack errors and managed to hit at only a .130 clip in the process.

Second-year Hallie Steponaitis and sixth-year Chard’e Vanzandt led the offense with eight kills each, followed by first-year Carmel Vares with six kills. 

“I had a rough match last game, so I came in here wanting to do better,” Steponaitis said. “I had a big goal in mind to show up for my team after not doing so good.”

Fourth-year Claire Ammeraal, who surpassed 3,000 career assists in Friday’s loss to No. 25 USC, contributed four kills and 24 assists, while fourth-year Milana Moisio put up 11 digs.

Set One

The Bruins’ heavy hitting allowed them to race out to a hot start, climbing to an early 8-4 lead and forcing a Hawkeye timeout. While two kills from second-year Hallie Steponaitis gave Iowa some momentum out of the break, UCLA’s big swings largely dominated the first set.

A 13-6 gap led to the Hawkeyes calling their second timeout, but the Bruins continued to control the tempo through the end of the set, taking a 25-14 win.

Set Two

Iowa began the second set with an explosive 4-0 run that included a block from sixth-year Chard’e Vanzandt and second-year Aleksandra Stojanovic, as well as a kill from first-year Carmel Vares. 

The Hawkeyes had momentum and rode it across the 10-point threshold, calling their first timeout once both teams reached a 13-13 draw. A second timeout followed a subsequent 4-0 Bruin scoring run, putting the Hawkeyes at a 17-15 disadvantage.

Trailing 24-20, Iowa embarked on another 3-0 run to cut the gap to one, but with a set point in their hands, UCLA took the second set, 25-23.

Set Three

The Bruins opened the third set with a 4-0 scoring run and only ramped up the pressure from there, winning the race to 10 points and snagging a quick 11-4 lead, a stark contrast to the intense battle that had defined the second set.

Neither team called a timeout until much later in the set, and while this allowed Iowa to find their footing on the fly, it also enabled UCLA to reach a nearly insurmountable 14-6 advantage. 

The Bruins didn’t let up, and a 6-0 scoring run near the end of the set was the final nail in the coffin for the Hawkeyes, despite Iowa attempting to break it up with its second timeout of the set.

The Bruins ultimately completed the sweep in the third set, 25-9.

“We did not handle the serve receive like we should have,” head coach Jim Barnes said. “We’ve been improving every week. We have to come out and start faster.”

Up next

Now 10-10 overall and 1-7 in Big Ten play, Iowa returns to Xtream Arena on Oct. 24 for a rematch against Michigan State. The match will start at 6:00 p.m. on Big Ten Plus. The Hawkeyes will stay home and take on Rutgers the following Sunday at 2:00 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.