Nov. 14, 2015
MADISON, Wis. — The University of Iowa volleyball team fell in straight sets to No. 11 Wisconsin on Saturday night at the Wisconsin Field House. The Hawkeyes fall to 12-17 overall and 2-14 in conference action, while the nationally ranked Badgers improve to 20-6 on the season and 12-4 in Big Ten play.
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“When you lose a few matches in a row, some teams just start to look down on themselves,” said UI head coach Bond Shymansky. “Our girls have an outstanding amount of optimism right now. I think they see and feel both the challenge and the reward of playing in the Big Ten. We are still proud of what we are giving, chasing, and working towards. I think people will continue to see that as they come out and support our team.”
After trading points to begin the first set, the Badgers used a three-point run to get out to a 14-10 advantage. They never lost the lead from there, using a .316 attack percentage to take the set, 25-20. Sophomore Jess Janota led the Hawkeyes with four kills in the set, while junior Loxley Keala dished out 10 assists.
The Badgers started set two with a 6-0 run and never looked back. Wisconsin registered a .654 attack percentage on 18 kills and just one error to win the set, 25-11.
Wisconsin held on to the momentum in the third set. After a back-and-forth battle to start the game, the Badgers used a four-point run to establish distance. They maintained control from there, recording a .357 hitting percentage to win the set, 25-14.
Janota led the Iowa offense with eight kills and a pair of blocks, while Keala dished out a team-high 20 assists. Freshman Reghan Coyle and sophomore Annika Olsen led the defense with six digs apiece.
The Hawkeyes return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena next week for their final two home matches of the season. Iowa hosts Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 18, before taking on Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 21.
