No. 24 Michigan State Downs Iowa

Stats | Boxscore

Sept. 29, 2012

Box Score

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team fell in straight sets to No. 24 Michigan State on Saturday night (19-25, 16-25, 22-25). The match was played on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Four Hawkeyes recorded seven or more kills. Junior Rachael Bedell paced Iowa with eight. Sophomores Alessandra Dietz and Alex Lovell and freshman Erin Radke all notched seven.

Nikki Dailey registered her team-leading 12th double-double of the season, tallying 28 assists and 12 digs. The junior has recorded a double-double in 10 of Iowa’s last 11 contests. Classmate Bethany Yeager, who ranks sixth all-time in program history in career digs, led the Hawkeyes with 13.

“Michigan State is really good,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “They are big and physical and they hit the ball hard. We have to kill balls. We tried to move some people around. We are working on it.”

The Hawkeyes came out swinging in the opening set, tallying four kills in their first five points. Trailing 9-8, the Spartans used a 10-4 run to grab an 18-13 lead. The two league foes split points the rest of the way, giving Michigan State the 25-19 opening set victory. The visitors hit .314 in the frame, while the home team turned in a .258 attack percentage. Lovell paced Iowa with four kills. Dailey registered a set-best 13 assists and Yeager added five digs.

Michigan State (14-2, 2-2) jumped out to a 6-3 lead in the second game. The Hawkeyes answered, claiming 10 of the next 15 points to grab a 13-11 advantage. The Spartans answered with an 8-0 run to take control of the set, leading 19-13. The visitors tallied six of the final nine points to earn a 25-16 set two victory. Michigan State recorded a .211 hitting percentage and limited Iowa to a -.045 attack percentage. Dailey and Lovell each turned in six digs.

Following the intermission, the Hawkeyes opened an 11-6 lead and forced a Spartan timeout in the third game. After the break, Michigan State evened up the match at 12-12 with a 6-1 run. The teams went back-and-forth leading to a 19-19 score. Iowa trailed 23-22, before two Spartan kills gave the visitors the 25-22 set and match victory. The Hawkeyes out-hit Michigan State in the frame, .276 to .275. Bedell led Iowa with four kills and Dailey turned in a set-high 10 assists.

Iowa (8-9, 0-4) returns to action next weekend at Indiana and No. 13 Purdue. The Hawkeyes and Hoosiers will square off at 6 p.m. (CT) in Bloomington, Ind., on Friday, Oct. 5. Iowa and the Boilermakers will meet Saturday, Oct. 6, in West Lafayette, Ind., at 7 p.m. (CT).