Iowa Wins at Indiana, 3-1, to Earn First B1G Victory

Stats | Boxscore

Oct. 5, 2012

Box Score

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The University of Iowa volleyball team won at Indiana, 3-1, on Friday night to earn its first Big Ten win of the season (25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22). The match was played inside University Gym on the campus of Indiana University.

The win, Iowa’s first on the road this season, improves the Hawkeyes’ record to 9-9 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play; the Hoosiers fall to 8-9 overall and 0-5 in league play.

Junior Rachael Bedell led all with a career-best 26 kills and sophomore Alex Lovell added 13. Junior Nikki Dailey turned in 43 assists and classmate Bethany Yeager, who ranks sixth all-time in program history in career digs, paced all with 20 digs. Senior Allison Straumann registered 12 digs and Bedell added 10 digs to record her fifth double-double of the season.

“It feels great to get this win,” said head coach Sharon Dingman. “Rachael and Alex were both very good tonight. Rachael managed that match incredibly well. Nikki did a nice job and Bethany did a good job as well. Clearly, Indiana came out with some fire. We expected them to. That is how it has gone between our two teams.”

The Hawkeyes came out swinging in the opening set, running out to a 6-3 lead. Indiana used a 5-2 run to even the score at 8-8. Iowa answered with a 6-3 run of its own and led the rest of the way en route to a 25-21 opening game victory. Bedell led the visitors with six kills and Dailey turned in 10 assists. Yeager added a set-best seven digs. The Hoosiers out-hit the Hawkeyes in the first frame, .186 to .146.

Indiana and Iowa went back-and-forth to begin the second set. With the score tied 6-6, the Hawkeyes used a 5-0 run to open an 11-6 lead and force a Hoosier timeout. Following two-straight Indiana points after the break, Iowa scored four of the next five points to grab a 15-9 lead. The Hawkeyes retained control throughout the remainder of the frame on their way to a 25-17 set victory and a 2-0 match lead. Iowa turned in a .235 attack percentage, with limiting Indiana to a -.029 hitting percentage. For the second time in as many sets, Bedell led Iowa in kills, recording a set-high six. Yeager led the Hawkeye defense with a set-best eight digs.

The visitors jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the third set. The home team answered, evening the frame at 11-11. The teams continued to exchange points, leading to a 21-21 score. Indiana scored the next two points, but Iowa answered and scored two-straight points to even the match at 23-23. The third-straight two point run belonged to the Hoosiers, giving the home team the 25-23 set victory. Bedell turned in a set-best six kills for the third-consecutive frame. The Hawkeyes out-hit Indiana, .257 to .243.

“I thought we were going to win the third set,” said Dingman. “We have done a great job of winning two-point sets this year. Indiana made some great plays but we came back. I am really proud of this team. This team kept its composure and hung in there.”

For the third time in four sets, Iowa jumped out to an early lead. Leading 9-5, the Hawkeyes rattled off the next three points to extend their lead to 12-5. Iowa forced a Hoosier timeout leading 17-10. The Hawkeyes led 20-13 before Indiana scored six straight to cut the score to 20-19. Iowa captured five of the final eight points to earn the 25-22 set and match victory. Bedell’s 26th kill of the night finished off the Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes out-hit Indiana in the frame for the third time in four sets, .306 to .156. Bedell and Dailey paced all, tallying eight kills and 14 assists, respectively.

The four set match marked the first time since 2010 the two teams have not gone five frames. Iowa has won three of the last five meetings between the two league foes.

Iowa returns to action Saturday night at No. 12 Purdue. The Hawkeyes and Boilermakers will meet at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette, Ind. Fans can listen to the action live via Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com or on AM-800 KXIC.