Wildcats Down Hawkeyes, 3-1

Nov. 16, 2007

Box Score

IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa volleyball team was defeated by Northwestern, 3-1 (30-19, 21-30, 24-30, 27-30) Friday night in front of 1,367 fans in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes managed a win in the first game, but dropped the final three games to fall to 9-19 overall and 1-16 in Big Ten play.

Sophomore Megan Schipper led Iowa with 13 kills along with four block assists. Junior Laura Kremer added 11 kills with a .296 hitting percentage and four block assists. Freshman Katie Kennedy chipped in a game-high seven blocks (one solo, six assists) while junior Emily Hiza had a game-high 24 digs.

The Hawkeyes used four kills from Schipper (.375 hitting percentage) and three kills from Huffman (.750 hitting percentage) for a 30-19 win in game one.

Iowa trailed 9-5 early in the game, but a 10-2 run gave the Hawkeyes a 15-11 lead that they would not relinquish. Huffman tallied a kill to make the score 23-18, forcing a Northwestern timeout, but the Hawkeyes closed the game on a 7-1 run for the victory.

Northwestern responded with seven kills and a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage from Chelsy Hyser for the 30-21 win in game two. Kremer recorded four of her 11 kills with a .429 hitting percentage in game two.

The game saw nine ties and four lead changes before the Wildcats took an 18-17 lead. They stretched the advantage to 24-19, forcing the Hawkeyes to take a timeout. Northwestern then closed the game with a 6-3 surge.

Game three was more of the same, with seven ties and six lead changes. The game remained within three points until an Iowa attack error gave Northwestern a 26-22 advantage. The Wildcats recorded three kills along with another Hawkeye error to take a 2-1 match lead.

Freshman Megan Eskew served the first five points of game four and the Hawkeyes took a 6-1 lead. Northwestern battled back to tie the score at 12, but Iowa responded with a 5-1 run to take a 17-13 lead. Iowa held onto its lead until a 9-3 Wildcat surge tied the game at 23. Iowa forced a tie at 25, but the Wildcats kept Iowa in check, holding on for a 30-27 win.

The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday night at 7 p.m. against Michigan State. The match will be “Senior Night” in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, as Stacy Vitali will play her final home match.

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