Hawkeyes Down South Dakota State in Nightcap, 3-1

Stats | Boxscore

Aug. 24, 2012

Box Score

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team defeated South Dakota State, 3-1, on Friday night in its second game of the Hawkeye Challenge presented by Comfort Suites (27-25, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22). The match was held on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“I am really pleased,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “Coach (Ben) Boldt told our team in the pre-match meeting you have to be prepared for a tough match. It was every bit of that. Generally speaking, we were very composed. That was great to see. That is a very good team that we just beat.”

Junior Nikki Dailey led Iowa with a match-high 41 assists. Classmate Bethany Yeager, who became the 14th Hawkeye to surpass 1,000 career digs in the season opener Friday against Chicago State, led the defense with 15 digs.

Three Hawkeyes registered double-digit kills. Junior Rachael Bedell and sophomore Alex Lovell each notched 16, and freshman Erin Radke turned in 13.

The Black and Gold claimed the opening set, 27-25. The two teams went back-and-forth throughout the frame. During the set, only four scoring runs were recorded that lasted longer than two consecutive points. Iowa opened the set on a 3-0 run, but eventually found themselves trailing 17-19 before another 3-0 run helped grab a 20-19 lead. The Jackrabbits later answered with three straight points to rally for a 23-22 advantage before Iowa tallied five of the final seven points to earn the first set victory. Dailey recorded a set-high 12 assists. Bedell registered a set-high six kills and added four digs.

The visitors (1-1) answered in the second set, evening the match at 1-1 with a 25-20 victory. Trailing 6-3, South Dakota State used a 13-2 run to grab a 15-8 lead. Iowa closed the gap to two at 20-22, but the Jackrabbits registered the final three points to even the match. Dailey added a set-high 11 assists.

The Hawkeyes regained the match advantage with a 26-24 third-set victory. Iowa opened the frame with a 4-2 lead. South Dakota State responded with a 7-2 run to take a 9-6 advantage. Trailing 12-13, Iowa went on a 7-2 run of its own to grab an 18-15 lead it would not relinquish. The run was sparked by five Hawkeye kills, including two from Lovell. Lovell notched a set-high six while Dailey registered 13 assists.

The Hawkeyes made the fourth set of the night the final one, claiming a 25-22 victory. Trailing 6-11, Iowa won 13 of the next 17 points to claim a 20-15 lead. The Jackrabbits answered with seven straight points, making the score 22-20, but the home team scored the final five points to win their second match in as many tries this year.

Iowa (2-0) continues action Saturday at noon against Southeast Missouri. All matches in the Hawkeye Challenge will be played on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Admission is $5 for adults and free for youth 18 and younger, and UI students with a valid ID.