Sept. 6, 2008
DENVER, Colo. – – The University of Iowa volleyball team was swept by host-school Denver, 22-25, 23-25, 21-25, Saturday in the Pioneer Classic. The Hawkeyes fall to 2-3 overall while Denver ups its record to 4-1.
“We just didn’t play well against Denver,” Head Coach Sharon Dingman said. “We weren’t able to get in an offensive rhythm. One of our goals this year was to out-work our opponents, but Denver out-worked us today. I’m glad we have another match today. We need to erase the memory of this match and get out and play hard again.”
Senior Laura Kremer led the Hawkeyes with 10 kills and a .529 attack percentage while senior Catherine Smale and junior Megan Schipper added six kills. Senior Kiley Fister had a team-high 22 assists and eight digs.
Denver opened the match with a 25-22 win in the first set. Set one stayed close throughout, with seven ties and two lead changes, but Iowa couldn’t prevail with a win.
Denver opened with an early lead, but the Hawkeyes tied the set at six. Denver maintained its lead and used a 5-0 run to take a 14-8 advantage. Iowa bounced back, using three Pioneer attack errors to cap a 6-0 run, tying the score once again at 14. The set saw ties at 15, 16, 17 and 18 before Denver took the lead for good, but not without a Hawkeye fight. Iowa came within one point late in the frame at 23-22, but two-straight Denver points gave them the set.
Set two was more of the same, with the Pioneers escaping with a 25-23 win. The set was tight throughout, with five ties and two lead changes. Smale and Schipper paced the Hawkeyes with four kills a piece in the first stanza.
Iowa took its first lead in the match at 3-2 and kept the advantage until Denver took the lead for good at 5-4. The Pioneers kept their lead and eventually gained a 23-18 advantage. The Hawkeyes tried to claw back into the set with a 5-1 run to make the score 24-23, but a Pioneer kill gave Denver a 2-0 match lead.
The Hawkeyes kept the third set close, but eventually fell 25-21. The set was close once again, with 10 ties and four lead changes. Kremer collected five of her 10 kills in the frame and hit at a .556 clip.
After the teams traded points to start the set, Iowa took a 12-11 lead, but Denver managed to regain the advantage at 17-16. Denver never looked back, using a 6-2 surge for a 23-18 lead. Iowa fought back with three points in the next four rallies, but a Hawkeye service error ended the match.
The Hawkeyes conclude action at the Pioneer Classic Saturday night against Virginia. First serve is set for 5 p.m.