UI Athletics news release
CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball lost to Iowa State in five sets on Wednesday night in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series match at Xtream Arena. The loss dropped Iowa to 7-3 overall and 1-3 in five-set matches.
The Hawkeyes battled all the way back after dropping the first two sets to the Cyclones. Freshman Gia McGrew made her first career start and led the team with 13 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Aleksandra Stojanovic produced 12 kills and six blocks, while senior outside Chard’e Vanzandt smacked
Senior libero Milana Moisio had 20 digs and updated her career high for the third time this season. Redshirt sophomore Allison Berent tallied nine digs in the back row.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JIM BARNES
“Once we started passing the ball better, we gained momentum. I was proud of how focused and determined we were. We never let up and we just kept going, even if we made a couple of mistakes. We got right back in it and the crowd helped that happen. It was a great home-court feeling. I wish we could have gotten the win for them.”
MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA STATE 25-23)
Iowa State started the match with a service error to give the Hawkeyes the first point. Freshman Carmel Vares rolled a kill to put Iowa up 2-1. The Cyclones established an early lead off a 4-0 run to push in front, 5-2. A couple errors from Iowa State kept the Hawkeyes close at 8-6. Vares smacked her second kill to cut the deficit to two at 9-7. The Cyclones led at the media timeout 15-8. Iowa trailed 17-10 before a kill from senior Claire Ammeraal and an ace from Whittingstall got the Hawkeyes within five at 17-12. A long rally from both teams saw great heads-up volleyball before Ammeraal closed the point with a solo block at 17-13. With the crowd fully involved, Vanzandt found the floor for her first kill of the night. An Iowa State hitting error led to a Cyclone timeout at 17-15. The Hawkeyes used Whittingstall’s serving prowess to get within one at 17-16. After trailing by as many as seven points, Iowa fought back to tie the set at 22, but could not take the lead. Iowa State ultimately won the set on back-to-back kills. Iowa hit .312 while Iowa State hit at a .263 clip.
SET TWO (IOWA STATE 25-13)
Iowa State used another fast start to lead 4-1 in the opening moments of set two. Whittingstall terminated her second kill of the evening to bring Iowa within one at 4-3. Vanzandt converted on back-to-back attacks with two smart shots to tie the set at 7-7. The Cyclones ran off three points in a row to reclaim the lead. Iowa State controlled the remainder of the set, using a large run to balloon its lead to 22-10. The Hawkeyes fended off a pair of set points before giving way to the Cyclones in a set loss.
SET THREE (IOWA 25-21)
Whittingstall’s serve gave Iowa a spark to start the third set on a 4-0 run. Energized from the start, the Hawkeyes sprinted ahead 7-2 and forced an Iowa State timeout after a big block from Stojanovic. Vanzandt’s seventh kill and another block from Stojanovic won the race to 10 for Iowa. Iowa State responded with a 5-0 run to get within two at 10-8. McGrew halted the Cyclone pressure with a powerful kill. Vanzandt found a sharp-angle cross-court kill to put Iowa up 15-12. Another Cyclone run tied the set at 16-all. Stojanovic’s second kill of the set gave Iowa the lead at 17-16. Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden found gaps in the Cyclone serve receive, dishing out back-to-back aces. With Iowa leading 19-16, the Hawkeyes returned to the middle to provide offense, winning the race to 20 off a kill from Stojanovic. As Iowa led 20-19, an Iowa State attack sailed out. Iowa State challenged and lost, giving Iowa the swing point. A solo block from Whittingstall gave the Hawkeyes a 22-19 advantage and ignited the crowd. Two kills from Whittingstall and one from McGrew closed the set for the Hawkeyes. Iowa’s defense shined and held Iowa State to a .034 clip.
SET FOUR (IOWA 25-21)
The set started back-and-forth, with both teams trading points. Iowa led 6-4 when the Cyclones rallied back immediately to tie. McGrew continued to be a force on the left side, drilling two kills to take the lead. Her 10th kill kept Iowa in front 9-7. A Jaimie Marquardt ace forced an Iowa State timeout at 11-7. Iowa built momentum on an Ammeraal kill and an Iowa State error, and the Cyclones burned their last timeout of the set. Iowa’s middle hitters picked up production with Whittingstall and Stojanovic converting on several kills during the middle of the set. Iowa State found a way to stay close throughout the fourth, capitalizing on a block after a long rally to tie the set at 19. Whittingstall smoked her seventh kill to put Iowa up 20-19. Stojanovic got into double figures with her 10th kill moments later. Vanzandt got involved from the left side and put Iowa back in the lead at 22-21. McGrew terminated an assist from Ammeraal to send the match to a fifth set.
SET FIVE (IOWA STATE 15-12)
Ammeraal and Whittingstall stayed connected to start the set with a kill. Iowa State tied the set at 3-3 on an ace that clipped the tape and rolled over the net. Ammeraal hammered her sixth kill in an immediate response. Stojanovic dunked an over pass and kept Iowa in the lead at 5-4. Iowa State immediately sided out and a 3-0 spurt gave the Cyclones a 7-4 lead. In a momentum-swinging moment, Iowa successfully challenged an attacking error by McGrew and knotted the set at 7-7. The Cyclones led at the midway point of the set 8-7. McGrew responded with her 13th kill of the night to bring Iowa within one at 9-8. Iowa hung around on a Whittingstall and Vanzandt kill. An Iowa State attacking error tied the set at 11. Iowa State won consecutive points in the late stages of the match. Trailing 14-11, Vanzandt recorded another kill from the left side to keep Iowa in contention, but the Cyclones were able to side-out quickly and won the match.
Up Next: Iowa returns to action for its first match of the Hawkeye Invitational on Friday evening against the East Texas A&M Lions. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. The match will be broadcast on B1G+. John Evans will be courtside providing the play-by-play call on the Hawkeye Radio Network.