Hawkeyes Fall, 3-1, to Close Hawkeye Challenge

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Aug. 27, 2011

Box Score

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, by the Marquette Golden Eagles in the final game of the Hawkeye Challenge Saturday evening. Iowa was led by senior Megan Eskew, who put down ten kills and picked up 14 digs, earning her second consecutive double-double. Sophomore Nikki Dailey recorded 37 assists and junior Tiffany Nilges added nine kills.

“I thought we played better tonight,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “Coming in I thought Marquette would be one of the stronger teams at the tournament, and I thought we played much better tonight than we did in the first game. We still need to work on serving and passing, and blocking is a concern. But we will continue working and we’ll look for better results.”

Iowa took an early advantage with a 25-22 first set victory. After a back-and-forth match, Iowa sealed the win with an 11-6 run, powered by freshman Emily Yanny’s two blocks and two kills. Yanny led the Hawkeyes with four kills and Dailey contributed nine assists. Sophomore Bethany Yeager also picked up four digs.

Marquette answered in set two earning a 25-16 victory. The Golden Eagles opened with a 6-3 run. The Hawkeyes fought back to tie the score at eight before taking the lead, 10-8, with two consecutive kills. Marquette stay close to the Hawkeyes before using a 7-0 run to end the set. Dailey led the team with 10 assists and Yeager picked up another five digs. Junior Lauren Friedman also put down three kills.

The third set opened with an 8-4 Marquette run. The Hawkeyes answered with a 7-3 run that tied the set at 11, but Marquette pushed on with another run to reclaim the lead 18-13. Marquette won the set 25-21 to take a 2-1 set advantage. Iowa was led by senior Tiffany Nilges, who recorded three kills, and Dailey, who dished out nine assists.

Marquette jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set. The Hawkeyes battled, but were unable to score more than two consecutive points before the Golden Eagles went on 6-3 run late in the set to defeat the Hawkeyes 25-21. Iowa was led by Eskew’s five kills and five digs. Dailey dished out another nine assists.

Yeager was named top libero of the Hawkeye Challenge after finishing the three-game challenge with 56 digs and 10 assists. Dailey was also named to the All-Tournament Team. She totaled 115 assists in three matches. Saint Lous captured the championship with a 2-1 record and a tiebreaker advantage over Marquette (2-1).

The Hawkeyes return to action Friday, Sept. 2 when they face Arizona State at the Iowa State Challenge. Action is scheduled to begin 11 a.m. (CT) in Ames, Iowa.

Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament Team
Bethany Yeager (Iowa)
Nikki Dailey (Iowa)
Cassie Clarke (Saint Louis)
Andrea Beaty (Saint Louis)
Carly Marcum (Saint Louis)
Danielle Gotham (Central Michigan)
Chelsea Heier (Marquette)
Danielle Carlson (Marquette)