Sept. 10, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team swept Loyola University, 3-0, Saturday at the Iowa Invitational. The Hawkeyes were led by freshman Emily Yanny’s team-high 12 kills. Sophomore Nikki Dailey handed out 33 assists and Bethany Yeager and Megan Eskew combined for 22 digs.
“I was really pleased,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “I thought Nikki did a really nice job. We knew they were going to front our middles, which would open things up for our pin players. She did nice a job finding the outsides and then coming back to the middle when Loyola made adjustments.”
Iowa’s middle blockers, Yanny, Erin Leppek and Chante’ Thompson combined for 19 kills in the contest. Leppek added a career best five total blocks.
Iowa used several runs to earn the set one victory, 25-19. The Hawkeyes opened the frame with a 7-3 run that included two kills and one ace from Yanny. Another Iowa 4-0 run helped advance the lead 18-11. Loyola responded with a 6-3 run that closed the gap, 23-18. Iowa finished the set with two more Yanny kills. Yanny led the Hawkeyes with five kills and Dailey recorded 10 assists. Yeager grabbed six digs.
The Hawkeyes clinched set two with a 25-20 victory to gain a 2-0 match advantage. Loyola opened the set with a 5-1 run that Iowa mirrored to tie the score 6-6. Iowa ended the match with a 6-2 run that included a team-high three kills from Leppek. Dailey dished out 10 assists and Yeager recorded six digs.
Set three opened with a 5-3 run by the Ramblers. Iowa responded with a 7-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. The Hawkeyes never looked back and closed the set with a 7-3 run. Yanny led Iowa putting down five kills and Dailey collected a set-high 13 assists.
The Hawkeyes close the Iowa Invitational tonight when they face the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
| Loyola vs. Iowa | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Loyola ( 2-5) | 19 | 20 | 17 |
| Iowa (5-3) | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Statistical Leaders | |||
| Kills: Emily Yanny (UI) 12 | Styler (LU) 14 | |||
| Assists: Nikki Dailey (UI) 33 | Wrobel (LU) 31 | |||
| Digs: Bethany Yeager (UI) 13 | Languido (LU) 10 |