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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team notched it first Big Ten victory of the season with a 3-0 sweep over Maryland on Wednesday evening in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes improved to 11-4 on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten action with the victory.
“Being able to get a Big Ten win at this point in the season is significant for us,” said UI head coach Bond Shymansky. “A win is a win in Big Ten play. You take any Big Ten win that you can get, but we know that we still have tons of work to do.
“I’m proud of the group for the investment they keep putting in each other, and for their true mental toughness. It’s really been fantastic to watch this group get better and better. It’s really no surprise that we got a Big Ten win this early in the season, and we are going to get more.”
The Hawkeyes got out to an early 7-4 lead in set one, before the Terrapins clawed their way back to tie the set, 9-9. Maryland used a 5-1 run to establish a lead and ultimately force Iowa to call a timeout. The Hawkeyes responded, using a 12-3 run to win the set, 25-22. Senior Ashley Mariani and sophomore Reghan Coyle led the Iowa rally. The duo combined for back-to-back blocks and three kills, while redshirt freshman Meghan Buzzerio added an ace. Junior Jess Janota paced the offense in the set, recording five kills, and Mariani registered three blocks to give the Hawkeyes a 1-0 lead in the match.
Iowa never trailed in set two, utilizing a 5-0 run to grab a lead and never looking back. Junior setter Loxley Keala served the rally and added an ace, senior Lauren Brobst and Reghan Coyle registered kills, and Janota and Coyle combined for a block. The Hawkeyes never looked back from there, holding off a late Maryland rally to win the set, 25-21.
The Hawkeyes used a .421 attack percentage to overwhelm the Terrapins in set three. Iowa started the set with a 7-1 swing behind kills from Coyle (2) and Mariani (1). They remained in control from there, taking advantage of four Maryland errors and two Mariani kills down the stretch to win the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-0.
Keala recorded her first double-double of the season for the Hawkeyes with 32 assists and 10 digs. Janota (12) and Mariani (10) combined for 22 of Iowa’s 38 kills. Mariani was the most efficient, hitting .588 with 10 kills in 17 attempts and no errors. Junior libero Annika Olsen registered 10 digs, while Mariani (4), Coyle (3), Buzzerio (2), and Janota (2) recorded at least two blocks apiece.
The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday, traveling to Evanston, Illinois, for a match against the Wildcats. First serve is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
