Sept. 3, 2005
Milwaukee, WI – The University of Iowa volleyball team ended the Marquette Challenge Saturday with a pair of wins over New Hampshire (3-0) and IUPUI (3-2). The Hawkeyes (4-1) defeated the Wildcats 30-24, 30-27 and 30-22 before going the distance with the Jaguars (23-30, 30-18, 25-30, 30-21 and 15-10).
“It was an up and down tournament for us,” Iowa Head Coach Cindy Fredrick said. “What we need to work on is our consistancy on the court. I was really happy with the overall team effort this weekend. I think Kiley (Fister) did really well serving, and I was really happy with the blocking of Melanie Meister and Megan Gatens.”
In game one against New Hampshire, the score remained close most of the way, with Iowa never leading by more than a couple points until pulling away at the end. Sophomore outside hitter Stacy Vitali had a game-best five kills for Iowa.
Game two was similar to game one, with both teams staying within two points of each other most of the way. The Wildcats wouldn’t allow Iowa to pull away until a pair of attack errors by New Hampshire gave the Hawkeyes a 28-25 lead before closing things out.
In game three, New Hampshire jumped out to an early lead before the Hawkeyes came storming back. A Vitali kill brought Iowa to within one at 15-16, forcing the Wildcats into a timeout. Catherine Smale tied things up right after the break with a kill. Iowa never looked back after that, eventually ripping off eight-consecutive points to take a commanding lead. Smale ended up sealing the deal in style with an ace jump-serve.
Freshman setter Kiley Fister shined against New Hampshire, dishing out 31 assists while recording six kills and hitting at a .857 clip. She also added nine digs.
Against IUPUI, the Hawkeyes struggled out of the gate and lost game one 23-30. A Megan Gatens kill on the first serve gave Iowa a 1-0 lead, but the Jaguars came right back to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In game two, the Hawkeyes came out of the gates blazing, jumping out to a 9-3 lead before forcing IUPUI to take a timeout. Vitali led the charge, racking up a pair of kills and a pair of blocks in the first nine points.
The Jaguars came out of the timeout inspired, and eventually tied the game at 12-12 before Iowa regrouped behind a kill and block by Gatens to re-claim a four-point lead. Another Vitali kill made the score 17-12 and forced IUPUI to take another timeout. Vitali slammed another kill immediately after the timeout and the Hawkeyes were rolling again. A Melanie Meister block ended things and tied the match at one game each.
Game three was a back-and-forth affair, with each team trading the lead throughout. IUPUI pulled away at the end to take the 30-25 win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Iowa tied things up with a convincing 30-21 win in game four, leading almost the entire way and forcing the decisive game five.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a good start in the fifth game, taking a 7-4 lead behind some strong hitting and good net play. Changing sides did nothing to stop the Hawkeyes, as senior setter Justeen Patton came off the bench and delivered back-to-back aces to spark the Black and Gold before a Tiana Costanzo kill finished things off and gave Iowa the win.
The Hawkeyes will return to action next weekend when they travel to Arlington, TX, for the Texas-Arlington Invitational.
MATCH SUMMARIESIOWA 30 30 30New Hampshire 24 27 22
IOWA 23 30 25 30 15IUPUI 30 18 30 21 10