Sept. 20, 2009
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West Point, NY – The University of Iowa volleyball team defeated Morgan State 3-0 Sunday morning in the final round of the West Point Classic. Senior Megan Schipper led the Hawkeyes with 16 kills, junior Mara Hilgenberg dished 27 assists and senior Christina Meister added a team-high 16 digs.
“It’s great to get a win heading into the Big Ten season,” said Head Coach Sharon Dingman. “We needed to see a lot of energy coming out of the locker room and we got it. Considering this was an 8 a.m. central time start, I was pleased to see the team ready and full of energy.”
The Hawkeyes jumped to an early match advantage by winning the opening set, 25-17. Schipper led the offensive attack with nine kills in 12 attempts. Hilgenberg dished 12 assists and Meister added six digs.
Schipper paced the Hawkeyes early, attacking with four of Iowa’s first five points. Iowa led 9-8 when junior Katie Kennedy started a streak of seven straight kills, including four straight from Schipper, as the Hawkeyes pulled away, 16-7. A kill from junior Becky Walters gave Iowa’s its largest lead, 22-11, and kills from freshman Emma Krieger Kittle and Kennedy eventually earned Iowa the set one victory.
Iowa grabbed a 2-0 match advantage with a 25-16 win in set two. Sophomore Mallory Husz led the Hawkeyes with three kills. Hilgenberg added eight assists and Meister contributed with four digs.
Iowa battled to a 9-6 lead before Krieger Kittle hammered three kills during a 9-1 Hawkeye run to extend the lead, 18-7. Sophomore Tiffany Nilges then entered the game and scored three straight Hawkeye points to give Iowa a 22-15 advantage. Freshman Lauren Friedman eventually hammered down the set-winning point with her first kill of the weekend to give Iowa a 2-0 match lead.
The Hawkeyes topped the Bears 25-16 in the third set for the three-set sweep. Iowa trailed 4-6 before using a 17-3 run to take control of the game. Schipper led Iowa with six kills and seven digs; Hilgenberg added seven assists.
The Hawkeyes return to action Wednesday when they open the Big Ten season at Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes and the Badgers battle live from Madison at 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.