Sept. 19, 2008
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- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- Iowa volleyball wallpaper
- Iowa `Volleyblog’
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa volleyball team swept Portland in impressive fashion, 25-14, 25-15, 25-14, Friday night in the Hawkeye-Holiday Inn Challenge. Head Coach Sharon Dingman picked up her first win inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena as Iowa improved to 6-4 on the season.
“It was great to play in front of our fans tonight,” Dingman said. “Our players were very fired up to play at home, and I think that showed on the court. We want to defend our home court all season. We played very well and need to do the same tomorrow in order to win our tournament.”
Senior Catherine Smale led the Hawkeyes with 10 kills while junior Megan Schipper added nine with a .412 attack percentage. Sophomore Katie Kennedy tallied seven kills with no errors and hit at a blistering .778 pace, which was a career-high for the Iowa City native. Senior Kiley Fister and sophomore Mara Hilgenberg split time at setter, with Fister recording 19 assists while Hilgenberg tallied eight. Senior libero Emily Hiza had 12 digs. As a team, the Hawkeyes hit .378 and held Portland to a -.045 attack percentage.
Iowa dominated the entire match and never trailed, with the only tie coming at one point a piece in the first set. Smale had four of her 10 kills in the first set while Schipper had three.
The Hawkeyes used a steady attack to take a 13-11 lead and then powered through a 6-2 surge for a 19-12 advantage. Iowa closed the frame with a 6-1 run, capped by a Mallory Husz kill.
Kennedy shined in the second stanza for Iowa, smacking five of her seven kills and hit at an eye-popping .833 clip. Senior Laura Kremer had three kills on four swings (.750 attack percentage) while Smale and sophomore Aimee Huffman each had two.
Fister served the first four points of the set and Iowa opened a 5-1 lead, forcing a Portland timeout. It was more of the same after the break, as the Hawkeyes went on an 8-2 surge shortly after the pause to take a 17-7 lead. Iowa went on a 9-2 run later in the frame to bring up set point at 24-14 and after a Hawkeye service error, Kennedy blasted a kill to give Iowa a 2-0 lead in the match.
It was Schipper’s turn to shine in the third set. The Aplington, IA, collected five kills on five swings (1.000 attack percentage) while Smale had four kills on six attempts (.667 attack percentage). Fister once again got Iowa off on the right foot, serving the first five points of the set. The Hawkeyes then opened up a commanding 9-2 lead before an 8-2 surge later in the set made the count 17-6. Schipper killed a set from Fister for a 20-8 margin and Iowa never looked back, taking the set with ease at 25-14.
The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday against DePaul (7 p.m.) and Tulsa (7 p.m.). Iowa’s match against Tulsa can be heard live on AM-800 KXIC.