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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team caught fire in the final three sets to defeat No. 22 Michigan, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
FIGHT FOR IOWA
Claire Sheehan recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills and a career-high 20 digs. Kelsey O’Neill added seven kills, a personal-best .636 attack percentage, and four blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sets 1 and 2 (21-25, 25-22) | After falling in set one, the Hawkeyes found their rhythm late in set two. The teams opened the set trading points to knot the score 11-11, but the Wolverines quickly took a 16-12 lead. Iowa responded, finishing the set on a 14-6 run to tie the match at 1-1.
Set 3 (25-15) | The Hawkeyes jumped ahead early and never looked back, leading by as much as 17-8 en route to a 2-1 match lead. Jess Janota found her rhythm in the set, amassing seven kills and a block.
Set 4 (25-21) | Iowa continued its momentum from set three, taking an early lead and never trailing to secure the 3-1 match victory. The Hawkeyes had a balanced attack in set four, with Reghan Coyle and Janota amassing four kills and Sheehan, O’Neill, and Taylor Louis chipping in three kills each.
HEAR FROM COACH SHYMANSKY
“A little flat for our group at the beginning. I told them that a road team loves to have a flat environment when they are on the road, and we can’t do that to Michigan because they want to play gritty. I thought we really matched their grittiness in the second set and then really took over the intensity of the third and fourth sets. It was a great team effort, but it was definitely sparked by Jess Janota. She went to beast mode tonight and that’s something you can really rally behind as a whole team. Other hitters went to that place, Reghan Coyle was great for us, Taylor Louis was really good, Kelsey O’Neill. Brie Orr set a great game. I’m so proud of our group. This is a moment where you just tell them ‘we know and we believe, but you have to go out there and prove it’. You could just see the little bit of uncertainty and we worked to shed that off tonight in a great victory over Michigan.”
“This is a great confidence boost for us. We have a really good rhythm going right now. We are really excited about Operation 5k. We want to break that attendance record on Saturday night after the homecoming football game. We set a new attendance record last year against Nebraska, and we want to blow through that record again this year. Football ticket holders can bring their ticket stub to get in for free. We have had a tremendous amount of support for this. Our fans have been great, and supporting this effort tells us that they want us to succeed. That’s what Hawkeye fans, that’s what true Hawkeye fans are really all about.”
NOTABLES
- This is the first ranked team the Hawkeyes have topped since a five-set victory over No. 24 Illinois on Oct. 29, 2016.
- Iowa registered a season-high 67 kills. Four Hawkeyes — Coyle (14), Sheehan (11), Louis (17), and Janota (17) — had double digit kills.
- Louis’ 17 kills mark her 14th match of the season with double digit kills.
- Sheehan’s 11 kills mark her seventh double-digit kill match of the season.
- Brie Orr registered a career-high 59 assists. This is her 16th match of the season with 30 or more assists, her eighth match of the season with 40 or more assists, and her second match of the season with 50 or more assists.
- Annika Olsen had 18 digs. This is her 16th match with double digit digs.
UP NEXT
Iowa concludes its four-match home stand Saturday, taking on No. 4 Nebraska at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Pack Carver-Hawkeye Arena with 5,000 of your Hawkeye friends to watch Iowa take on No. 4 Nebraska. Watch for #Operation5K on our Twitter and Facebook pages for more information.
RECORDS UPDATE
- Iowa: 13-5, 2-3 B1G
- No. 22 Michigan: 12-5, 2-3 B1G