Iowa Drops 3-Set Match to Michigan

Stats | Boxscore

Oct. 10, 2014

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Box Score | Final Stats

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Iowa volleyball team fell to Michigan (7-8, 2-3) in three sets at Cliff Keen Arena on Friday evening. The Hawkeyes drop to 8-8 on the season and 0-5 in Big Ten action following the loss.

“We’re out here on the road in a more hostile environment with a good crowd and our group did not respond to the opening pressure with intensity,” head coach Bond Shymansky said. “Then in the second set we had them at set point and that’s the time we need to close a team out especially on the road. In the third set we were in it then we went flat.

“You could see on our faces that we weren’t sure we could come back. That’s the part we’re working on with our team. We need that will power and the commitment to being competitive throughout every single match.”

Five early service errors set the Hawkeyes back in set one, as the Wolverines cruised to a 25-15 win. Michigan posted a .391 attack percentage and never trailed to take the advantage in the match. The Hawkeyes hit .062, and were led by Lauren Brobst who posted four of Iowa’s nine kills and a .444 attack percentage.

After trailing by five in set two, the Hawkeyes rallied back to knot the score 17-17. Four Brobst kills, two kills from Mikaela Gunderson and Jess Janota, and a Michelle Fugarino service ace fuelled the drive. Four ties followed before Michigan pulled away, securing the win, 29-27, with a kill, service ace and an Iowa error.

The Hawkeyes used kills by Brobst and Gunderson to post an early advantage in the third set, but the Wolverines rallied back to knot the score 7-7. Michigan used a 4-0 run to establish a cushion and never looked back en route to its 25-19 set three win, which solidified the 3-0 sweep of the Hawkeyes.

Brobst paced the Hawkeye offense with a season-high 15 kills.

“They were doing a lot of switch blocking and putting their biggest blocker on Brobst early and it was having an effect,” Shymansky said. “They blocked her a few times and she had to focus in and figure out where she needed to terminate the ball. She started doing that and came to life.”

She was joined in double figures by Janota (10). Gunderson led the way with a .364 attack percentage. Kaylee Smith dished out a team-most 33 assists in the match, while Julianne Blomberg led the way with nine digs.

Iowa concludes weekend play at Michigan State on Saturday night at 6 p.m. (CT).