Nov. 19, 2005
STATE COLLEGE, PA – The University of Iowa volleyball team was swept by the second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday night in State College, PA. The Hawkeyes (14-17, 4-14) fell by scores of 30-14, 30-24 and 30-16. Penn State raised its record to 27-2 (18-0).
Freshman outside hitter Catherine Smale was the bright spot on offense for Iowa, recording a team-best 12 digs with a .323 hitting percentage. Sophomore Stacy Vitali also had a solid night on the attack, pounding out 11 kills.
The Hawkeyes hung tough early in game one, keeping things close and taking a 7-6 lead on a kill from Smale. That awoke the Nittany Lions, who proceeded to rattle off 12-consecutive points and take a commanding 18-7 lead. Penn State cruised the rest of the way to a 30-14 victory, out-hitting the Hawkeyes .719 to .189 in the game.
Iowa re-grouped for game two and kept things close most of the way, and a Smale kill along with three Hawkeye blocks gave Iowa an 18-17 lead. The Nittany Lions used a kill and an ace to re-take the lead at 19-18, then slowly pulled away for a 30-24 win. During the game, Penn State lost freshman middle hitter Christa Harmotto to a knee injury. She was Penn State’s leading attacker with nine kills and a .667 hitting percentage up to that point.
In game three, Penn State controlled things from the outset, with Iowa’s last lead coming at 5-4.
Iowa will wrap-up it’s season next weekend with a pair of home games against Purdue (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Illinois (Saturday, 7 p.m.). The contest against the Fighting Illini will serve as Senior Day, when the Hawkeyes will honor departing seniors Lauren Bruckner and Justeen Patton.
MATCH SUMMARYIOWA 14 24 16No. 2 PSU 30 30 30