Oct. 26, 2007
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa volleyball team was defeated by Ohio State, 3-0 (15-30, 28-30, 29-31) Friday night in front of 1,144 fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes fall to 9-12 overall and 1-10 in Big Ten action.
“We really struggled offensively tonight,” Head Coach Cindy Fredrick said. “We need to find a way to get our offense consistent. I thought Megan Schipper and Laura Kremer played well tonight. We fought hard at the end of games two and three, but we need to get that momentum started at the beginning of games as well.”
Schipper finished with 13 kills to lead the Hawkeye attack. Kremer added 10 kills while both players tallied three total blocks.
Ohio State out-blocked the Hawkeyes, 7.5-1 in game one to gain an early advantage. The Buckeyes never trailed in the first game, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. Ohio State stretched its lead to 19-10 and finished the game on an 11-5 run for the win.
The Hawkeyes recorded 16 kills to Ohio State’s 15 in game two, but couldn’t push ahead for the win. Schipper recorded six kills while Kremer added five in game two.
Iowa took a 4-3 lead early in the game off a Kiley Fister service ace. The Hawkeyes kept the advantage until the Buckeyes forced a tie at 11. Both teams traded points, with ties at 12, 13 and 14, before Ohio State took a 15-14 lead. Ohio State kept Iowa at bay until a 7-1 run, capped by back-to-back kills by Schipper, tied the game at 25. Game two saw ties at 26 and 27 before Ohio State earned game point at 29-27 and eventually took the game, 30-28.
The Buckeyes led for the majority of game three, but Iowa fought to make things interesting. Freshman Megan Eskew recorded one of her two kills to the game at nine, but Ohio State answered with a 7-0 run for a 16-9 advantage. Iowa chipped away at the Buckeye lead, using another Fister ace for a 27-26 score. The Buckeyes then took a two-point lead before a Stacy Vitali kill made the count 28-27. A Buckeye kill brought up match point at 29-27, but two Ohio State hitting errors tied the game again, this time at 29. Ohio State replied with two-straight kills to end the match.
Iowa returns to action Saturday night against second-ranked Penn State. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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