Oct. 6, 2010
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – – The University of Iowa volleyball team lost to 16th-ranked Minnesota Wednesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 3-0. The Hawkeyes, 4-3 at home, were led by freshman Nikki Dailey who notched 12 assists and freshmen Rachael Bedell and Chante Thompson who each recorded six kills. The match was televised live by the Big Ten Network.
“Though I’m not happy about the loss, it was an improvement from our last match,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “The energy was there tonight. Now we have to sustain that energy because Northwestern is a very tough team and we need to bring our full effort to the court.”
The first set went back-and-forth throughout. Iowa (6-8, 1-4) jumped out to an early lead and led throughout much of the set. Iowa led 17-14 before Minnesota rallied to gain a 20-19 advantage. After the Black and Gold claimed the next point to tie the set at 20, Minnesota scored five of the last six points to take the set 25-21. Dailey carded four assists and junior Megan Eskew tallied four digs to lead the Hawkeyes.
| Iowa vs. Minnesota | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Minnesota (4-1, 14-3) | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Iowa (1-4, 6-8) | 21 | 16 | 18 |
| Statistical Leaders | |||
| Kills: Thompson, Bedell (UI) 6 | Wittman (UM) 15 | |||
| Assists: Nikki Dailey (UI) 12 | Nucci (UM) 44 | |||
| Digs: Megan Eskew (UI) 13 | Granquist (15) 15 |
The Hawkeyes again jumped out to an early lead in set two. Iowa led 8-6 before the Gophers scored 10 of the next 13 points to grab a 16-11 lead. The Hawkeyes cut the Minnesota lead to 13-17 but Minnesota answered, recording eight of the next 10 points to win the set, 25-16. Dailey again led Iowa with three assists while a trio of Hawkeyes, Thompson, Bedell and Eskew, each notched two kills.
The Gophers ran out to an early 6-0 lead in the third set. Following an Iowa timeout, the Hawkeyes tallied six of the next eight points to cut the lead to 8-6. The Gophers answered, claiming seven of the next 11 points to grab a 15-10 advantage. Iowa won three of the next four points to make the score 16-13. Minnesota was strong down the stretch though, claiming nine of the final 14 points to clinch the set and the match. Dailey tallied five more assists and senior Becky Walters led the Hawkeyes with three kills.
Iowa will travel to Evanston, IL, Friday to battle Northwestern. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. central time at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The match will mark the start of a three-game conference road trip for the Hawkeyes.