Nov. 7, 2003
EVANSTON, IL – The Iowa women’s volleyball team lost its 13th conference match of the season Friday evening in a 3-0 loss to Northwestern at Welsh Ryan Arena.
The beginning of game one proved to be a close battle. With the score tied at 8-8, Northwestern gained control by posting a 14-4 run to take a 22-12 advantage. The Hawkeyes were unable to come back as they could only collect five of the final 13 points in the 30-17 loss. Hitting percentage proved to be a factor as Iowa hit at a -.067 clip, posting eight kills while committing 10 errors. Northwestern hit at a .286 clip.
Iowa fought back in game two and hung close with the Wildcats throughout the entire game. Northwestern managed to pull ahead and took game two, 30-24. The Hawkeyes registered 12 kills and were edged in hitting percentage, .162-.118.
After the intermission, Iowa came out with momentum and played its best game of the match, edging the Wildcats in hitting percentage, .278-.245. The Hawkeyes controlled the early part of the game and held a steady lead. Iowa continued to increase its lead, 21-15, but Northwestern fought back and eventually tied the game at 27-27. The Hawkeyes were unable to come back as Northwestern collected three of the final four points for the 30-28 victory to claim the match.
The Hawkeyes finished the match with 35 kills, 31 assists, 31 digs and five total team blocks. Northwestern collected 50 kills, 45 assists, 33 digs and seven team blocks. The Wildcats dominated with their service game posting 11 service aces compared to Iowa’s two.
Junior Carolyn Giese led the Hawkeye attack with 10 kills and recorded two block assists. Freshman Tiana Costanzo registered nine kills, four digs and one service ace. Senior Jitka Stehnova posted 28 assists and five digs. Junior Pam Kavadas collected a team-high 11 digs. Junior Laura Simpson tallied six kills and one service ace. Freshman Lastascia Granger saw action in two games and collected her first career block assist.
The Hawkeyes (5-18, 0-13) will travel to Champaign, IL tomorrow to face Illinois. Competition is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Huff Hall.