Hawkeyes Fall to Michigan, 3-1

Sept. 30, 2005

Box Score

IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa volleyball team dropped a four-game match to the Michigan Wolverines Friday night, 21-30, 30-26, 23-30, 27-30, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes fall to 11-5 (1-2), while the Wolverines upped their record to 8-4 (2-1).

Sophomore outside hitter Stacy Vitali led the attack for Iowa, racking up a team-best 17 kills and hitting at a .268 clip. Freshman Catherine Smale recorded a double-double for Iowa, pounding out 15 kills and snagging 14 digs.

In game one, the Iowa attack struggled against Michigan’s defense, hitting just .045. Vitali was the bright spot, netting four kills and hitting .800 for the game.

The Hawkeyes rebounded well in taking game two, raising their team hitting percentage to .246 while holding Michigan to a .211 percentage. Freshman Laura Kremer provided a major spark off the bench, recording three kills in four attempts for a .750 percentage. For the match, Kremer hit a team and career-best .455.

Iowa led throughout game two, but Michigan threatened to come back late and cut the Hawkeye lead to 27-26. After an Iowa timeout, Kremer gave her team a side out with a kill, then served out the match to give the Hawkeyes the win.

The Hawkeye offense struggled again in game three, recording a negative team hitting percentage for the first time this season. Michigan didn’t hit much better at .156, but it was enough to take the 30-23 win and a 2-1 match advantage.

In game four, the Hawkeyes out-hit Michgian .211 to .167, but the Wolverines had 18 kills to Iowa’s 12. The home team kept the game close the whole way, trading leads with Michigan throughout until the Wolverines took a one-point advantage at 27-26, then held on for the win.

Iowa will welcome Michigan State Saturday night at 7 p.m.

MATCH SUMMARYMichigan    30   26   30   30IOWA    21   30   23   27