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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team (6-5, 0-0) fell to the Iowa State Cyclones (8-3, 0-0) in five sets in the final match of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series Tournament on Saturday night.
In front of a season-high 2,283 fans, the Hawkeyes almost completed a comeback after dropping the first two sets of the match.
Sophomore Courtney Buzzerio tallied a team-high 19 kills, while junior Brie Orr added 49 assists. Orr was named to the all-tournament team and the Hawkeyes placed runner-up as a team.
HEAR FROM COACH BROWN
“When we went back into the locker room after the second set, the captains were leading it and they took control, which was great to see. All I had to do was say the rotation we were going to start in. They battled out there. Courtney Buzzerio finished with a career-high and hit over .400 for us and Edina Schmidt stepped up. Without Meghan (Buzzerio) in the lineup, we have shown that we have players who can step up for us and they did that this weekend.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (25-18) | Iowa State opened up on an early lead after two Hawkeye miscues gave the Cyclones a 6-3 lead. Iowa was forced to take its first timeout, trailing 8-13, but a three-point run off kills from sophomore Hannah Clayton and junior Griere Hughes wans’t enough as Iowa State returned the favor with four more points to force a second Iowa timeout. Iowa closed the lead to five points after an Iowa State service error, but the Cyclones remained poised and closed the set, 25-18.
SET 2 (25-22) | The Hawkeyes and Cyclones traded points and were tied 10 times during the second set. Iowa called a timeout after Iowa State created space on a 3-1 run to make the score 19-21. Out of the timeout, Iowa State added another point on a kill and an attack error by the Hawkeyes put Iowa behind 19-23 with little room for error. Sophomore Amiya Jones grabbed two quick kill to give Iowa the momentum it needed, but an Iowa State timeout halted Iowa’s run and the Cyclones took set 2, 22-25.
SET 3 (25-19) | Carver-Hawkeye Arena could feel the Hawkeyes building momentum throughout the first two sets and it all came together in the third. Iowa gained a 5-4 lead after a Hughes kill and didn’t look back as the Hawkeyes stifled every Cyclone run during the set. Hughes and Jones added four kills each during the set, while Courtney Buzzerio’s three kills to begin the set gave Iowa the jumpstart it needed. Back-to-back blocks from Clayton sealed the set.
SET 4 (25-18) |Iowa brought the head to start the fourth set. The Hawkeyes opened on a 10-2 run that included two kills from Clayton, two blocks from Clayton and Schmidt, and an ace from sophomore Maddie Slagle. Iowa State began chipping back at the lead and forced an Iowa timeout with the Hawkeyes leading 20-16. Clayton added two kills out the Iowa’s timeout to force Iowa State to call a timeout. The Cyclones gave Iowa the third set with three straight attack errors.
SET 5 (15-10) | In the deciding set, Iowa and Iowa State traded points without either team gaining an edge. Courtney Buzzerio was responsible for Iowa’s first three kills before consecutive kills from the Cyclones forced Iowa’s first timeout. The Hawkeyes surrendered three more points and called their second timeout, trailing 7-11. Iowa State rallied to take the fifth and final set, 15-10.
NOTABLES
- Iowa had the edge in service errors, committing nine to Iowa State’s 13.
- Courtney Buzzerio set a career-high with 19 kills and a .441 hitting percentage.
- Freshman Edina Schmidt added a career-high nine kills and three blocks.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes begin Big Ten play next weekend at Northwestern on Friday and Illinois on Saturday. Both matches are set to start at 7 p.m. (CT). Follow along on live stats at hawkeyesports.com/vblive. Purchase tickets for Iowa’s next home match at hawkeyesports.com/ticket.
