Nov. 17, 2007
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa volleyball team was swept by Michigan State (22-30, 21-30, 27-30) Saturday night in Iowa City. Senior Stacy Vitali collected 10 kills in her final match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Junior Laura Kremer led the Hawkeyes with 11 kills and seven total blocks (two solo, five assists). Vitali followed with 10 while freshman Aimee Huffman added eight. Sophomore Megan Schipper finished with seven kills and three block assists.
Michigan State claimed a 30-22 win in game one and was led by Jessica Hohl, who finished with six kills and a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage.
The game remained close at the start with six ties and three lead changes before the Spartans took a 9-8 lead. Michigan State would lead for the rest of the game, stretching its advantage to 13-9, forcing an Iowa timeout. A Hawkeye error late in the game made the score 28-20, and two Spartan kills in the next four rallies gave them an early lead in the match.
The Spartans took game two, 30-21. The game saw ties at two, five and six before Michigan State took the lead at 7-6. The Spartans held on to the advantage for the rest of the game, using a 7-2 run for a 14-8 lead. Another 7-2 surge later in the game made the score 21-12. Iowa battled back with a 4-0 run after a Michigan State brought up game point at 29-17, but an attack error gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead in the match.
Game three remained close at the start, with ties at two, three, five and seven before Iowa took an 8-7 lead off a Michigan State error. The Hawkeyes then went on an 11-4 run, capped by a block from Schipper and Kremer to take an 18-12 lead. The Spartans clawed back into the game with an 8-0 run to take a 25-24 lead. The teams traded points near the end, with ties at 25, 26 and 27. Michigan State recorded back-to-back kills for match point at 29-27 and a Hawkeye error ended the match with a 30-27 score in game three.
The Hawkeyes will close the 2007 season on the road next weekend. Iowa will face Illinois Friday and Wisconsin Saturday. Both matches will start at 7 p.m. (CST).
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