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VERMILLION, South Dakota — The University of Iowa volleyball team (5-3, 0-0) dropped a five-set match to the South Dakota Coyotes (9-1, 0-0), 3-2, in the finale of the South Dakota Tournament on Saturday night.
Juniors Griere Hughes and Brie Orr were named to the all-tournament team. Hughes tallied a career-high 24 kills, while Orr had a season-high 48 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (25-17) | The Iowa offense struggled in the first set, tallying only nine kills while the South Dakota offense was near flawless in its ball placement. Every Iowa rally was halted by Coyote block. Sophomore Amiya Jones and senior Meghan Buzzerio each registered an ace, but it was the lone bright spot for the Hawkeyes to start the match.
SET 2 (25-15) | The Hawkeyes hit the reset button in the second set. After hitting .026 in the first, Iowa tallied a .424 hitting percentage in the second while committing only three attack errors. Iowa forced a South Dakota timeout after opening the set on a 5-0 run and continued to build a lead. Leading 16-8, Iowa went on a 7-1 run to take a firm grip on the set at 22-10.
SET 3 (25-18) | The third set played similar to the first with the Hawkeyes unable to gain any momentum as the Coyotes tallied kill after kill. The deciding factor was the Coyotes ability to convert their kills, registering a .441 attack percentage to Iowa’s .182. Iowa gained an early advantage at 6-2, but squandered opportunities to allow the Coyotes to tie the score at seven, take the lead and not give it back.
SET 4 (25-21) | Iowa spent most of the set battle back after falling behind 6-10. Iowa’s offense struggled to create momentum, but a couple errors by the Coyotes opened a window and the Hawkeyes took it with Meghan Buzzerio, Hughes, and junior Brie Orr rallying kills to bring Iowa within two points at 14-16. Following a South Dakota timeout, a Hughes block tied the game at 18 and Iowa returned to form for the rest of the set with Meghan Buzzerio leading Iowa’s offense and sophomore Courtney Buzzerio giving Iowa the set with a service ace.
SET 5 (20-18) | Iowa and South Dakota traded leads in the fifth set as South Dakota was the first to eight points. Trailing 14-12 and with the match on the line, Iowa fought back to tie the score at 14. Iowa created two opportunities to win the match, but unforced errors cost Iowa the match point as the game swung in South Dakota’s direction and the Coyotes took the set 20-18.
NOTABLES
- Junior Griere Hughes registered a career-high 24 kills.
- Junior Brie Orr added a season-high 48 assists.
- This is Iowa’s first five-set match of the season.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to Iowa City for the Cy-Hawk Tournament. Iowa plays Lipscomb on Friday at 11 a.m. (CT). Tickets for the match are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets or over the phone at 800-IA-HAWKS.
