Aug. 30, 2003
CARBONDALE, IL – The Iowa volleyball team rallied from its first loss of the season by winning both of its matches on Saturday at the Saluki/Best Inns Invite. The Hawkeyes defeated Austin Peay, 3-1, in its first match of the day. Iowa ended the tournament with a 3-2 win over host school Southern Illinois.
Against Austin Peay, the Hawkeyes jumped off to a fast start claiming a 6-1 lead to start game one. The Lady Govs came back, closing Iowa’s lead, 7-6, but the Hawkeyes once again pulled away to a 25-17 lead. With Iowa leading 28-22, Austin Peay rallied with seven unanswered points to take its first lead, 29-28, and went on to win game one 31-29.
Game two began as a close contest with several lead changes. Iowa managed to take control with a 9-7 lead and never looked back, claiming the second game, 30-23. The Hawkeyes also took control to begin game three, jumping out to an 8-3 lead and increased the gap at 13-4. The Lady Govs managed a late rally narrowing the Hawkeye lead to 27-22, but Iowa claimed three of the final six points for the 30-25 win.
Austin Peay took control early in game four, pulling out to an 8-4 lead. Iowa came back with four unanswered points to tie the score at 8-8. With the score tied once again at 21-21, the Lady Govs recorded six unanswered points to take at 27-21 lead. With a fifth game on the brink, Iowa fought back, claiming eight of the next ten points to tie the score at 29-29. The Hawkeyes finally pulled ahead, winning three of the final four points for the 32-30 win and claiming the match.
As a team, Iowa posted 76 kills compared to Austin Peay’s 51 and registered a .208 attack percentage compared to the Lady Govs’ .115. On the defensive side, the Hawkeyes registered 105 digs compared to Austin Peay’s 88 and Iowa posted 10 total team blocks compared to the Lady Govs’ eight.
Senior Jitka Stehnova and freshman Tiana Costanzo each recorded double-doubles. Stehnova tallied 60 assists and 23 digs. Costanzo recorded 12 kills while hitting at a .400 clip (12-2-25) and registered 21 digs. Junior Laura Simpson recorded a solid all-around performance with 21 kills, eight digs and four block assists. Senior Abby Tjaden tallied 13 kills and six block assists. Junior Pam Kavadas registered 20 digs and freshman April Mech recorded 13 digs. Junior Carolyn Giese recorded 12 kills.
Iowa concluded the tournament with a hard-fought battle against Southern Illinois. The Hawkeyes pulled out to an 8-4 lead to start game one. Iowa continued to maintain control climbing out to a 13-9 lead. The Saluki’s fought back, claiming their first lead of the game at 24-23 and took six of the final ten points for the 30-27 win.
Iowa was unable to gain momentum in game two as Southern Illinois jumped out to an early lead. The Salukis controlled the entire game as Iowa was only able to muster 14 points, giving Southern Illinois the 30-14 win.
After the intermission, Iowa once again fell behind. With the Hawkeyes facing a 16-9 deficit, Iowa fought back claiming 12 of the next 17 points to tie the score at 21-21. Iowa then held the lead and eventually claimed game three, 30-28.
The Hawkeyes took the momentum into game four pulling out to a 6-3 lead. Iowa maintained its lead throughout the entire game and recorded a 30-24 win to tie the match. The final game began as a close battle. With the score tied at 4-4, Iowa took seven of the next ten points for an 11-6 lead. The Hawkeyes recorded four of the final seven points for the 15-7 win, claiming the match.
Southern Illinois edged the Hawkeyes in kills with 66 compared to the Hawkeyes’ 62. Iowa held the advantage on the defensive side with 90 digs compared to the Saluki’s 79 and registered 12.5 total blocks compared to Southern Illinois 10.
Simpson once again led Iowa in kills with 19 and tallied seven digs. Stehnova recorded her second double-double of the day with 52 assists and 18 digs. Sophomore Echaka Agba recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs. Costanzo registered 17 digs and Kavadas posted 15 digs.
The Hawkeyes (2-1, 0-0) will return to action Friday when they travel to Ames, IA, for the Cyclone Challenge. Iowa will face host school Iowa State at 7 p.m.
Iowa-Austin Peay Box Score in PDF Format
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Iowa-Southern Illinois Box Score in PDF Format
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