Sept. 15, 2006
CHARLESTON, SC – The University of Iowa volleyball continued its torrid start to the 2006 season with a three-game sweep of Columbia at the College of Charleston Invitational held in Charleston, SC, Friday. Iowa, which upped its record to 9-1, won by scores of 30-21, 30-22, 30-27.
The Hawkeyes were forced to play without their top attacker Catherine Smale, who sat out with an ankle injury.
“It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it was a win,” Iowa Head Coach Cindy Fredrick said. “We had a hard time getting in sync today, and not having Catherine (Smale) probably had something to do with it. Not only her attack, but she provides so much stability in the back row. We just need somebody else to step up in her absence.”
Senior middle hitter Melanie Meister led the way for Iowa with 11 kills on 25 attempts. She also added four blocks. Fellow middle hitter Jen Barcus added nine kills, while Tiana Costanzo and Allison Smith each added seven.
Setter Kiley Fister dished out 25 assists on the afternoon, while libero Emily Hiza had seven digs. Costanzo, Alicia Johnson and Megan Schipper tied for the team lead with eight digs apiece.
Columbia jumped out to an early 5-3 lead in game one, but the Hawkeyes came roaring back to take the lead on six-consecutive points and forced the Lions into a timeout. Iowa kept the pressure on the rest of the game until Costanzo ended things at 30-21 with an ace.
The Hawkeyes led from wire-to-wire in game two, holding an 11-point lead at one point. Barcus ended things with back-to-back kills, giving Iowa the 30-22 win.
Fister served Iowa to an immediate 5-0 lead to start game three before a foot-fault gave Columbia its first side out. The Hawkeyes stretched their lead to 24-13 and looked to pull away, but the Lions wouldn’t fold and clawed back into contention. Columbia closed two within three at 28-25, but Iowa held on for the win.
Iowa returns to action with a pair of games tomorrow. The Hawkeyes play Eastern Michigan at 11 a.m., then battle College of Charleston at 6 p.m. All times are Central.
MATCH SUMMARYIOWA 30 30 30Columbia 21 22 27