Aug. 30, 2008
Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Iowa volleyball team wrapped up the 2008 Hampton Inn/Bama Bash with a four-set loss to host-school Alabama, 24-26, 25-17, 17-25, 25-14. The Hawkeyes fall to 1-2 on the season while Alabama improves to 2-1.
Junior Megan Schipper led the Hawkeyes offensively with 17 kills while seniors Laura Kremer and Catherine Smale had 11. Senior Kiley Fister added 43 assists and 13 digs. Schipper was named to the Hampton Inn/Bama Bash all-tournament team.
“I don’t think we got out-worked tonight, we just got out-played,” Head Coach Sharon Dingman said. I was happy to see Megan (Schipper) on the all-tournament team. She played like she deserved it. Kiley (Fister) also played very well this weekend, but we had a few people that were deserving of the award.”
Alabama managed to steal the first set away from Iowa by a 26-24 score. Junior Megan Schipper recorded six kills with an impressive .857 attack percentage while senior Catherine Smale tallied four kills in the first stanza.
Iowa started the first set strong and maintained a lead through the early stages. The Hawkeyes enjoyed between a two and three point lead until Alabama managed to tie the set at 15. The set saw ties at 16, 17 and 18 along with three lead changes before a 4-1 Hawkeye run gave Iowa a 22-19 lead. Alabama battled back with two points to cut the Hawkeye lead to one at 22-21, but a Crimson Tide error gave Iowa a 23-21 advantage. Two more Alabama points forced the seventh tie of the set, this time at 23, forcing Iowa to take its second and final timeout of the frame. Alabama took advantage of a Hawkeye error to bring up set point at 24-23, but an Aimee Huffman kill knotted the score at 24. The Crimson Tide had their second set point opportunity at 25-24 and a Hawkeye attack error gave Alabama the first set.
Iowa knotted the match at one set a piece after a 25-17 win in the second frame. Senior Laura Kremer led the Hawkeyes with five kills while sophomore Katie Kennedy added one solo block and two block assists.
After both teams traded points early in the set, Iowa kept a small lead until Alabama tied the score at eight. The Hawkeyes then used a 4-1 spurt, capped by back-to-back kills by Kremer and Smale to take a 12-9 lead, forcing a Crimson Tide timeout. Iowa kept its lead after the break, eventually scoring four points in five rallies to make the score 17-12 and Alabama used its final timeout. Iowa held on to its lead, using an 8-4 run to win the set.
Alabama took the third set, 25-17. Schipper and Smale both had four kills while Schipper hit a .571 clip. Senior Kiley Fister added 10 assists and four digs.
Alabama gained an early 2-1 lead in the frame, but the Hawkeyes battled back to tie score at both five and six. Iowa then called its first timeout of the set after a quick 3-0 run gave the Crimson Tide a 9-6 lead. Alabama then put together an 8-2 shortly after the pause for an 18-11 advantage. The Crimson Tide continued to lead and held on to win the set to go up 2-1 in the match.
Set four saw ties at two, three, four and five before Alabama strung together four-straight points for a 9-5 lead. The Crimson Tide kept their lead throughout the set, using an 8-2 run to take a 17-8 lead. Alabama closed the set with a 7-2 spurt to take the match.
The Hawkeyes return to action Friday when they take on Tennessee at 6 p.m. in the Pioneer Classic, hosted by the University of Denver.