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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball (7-7, 1-2) team fell to No. 7 Minnesota (9-2, 3-0), 3-1, on Wednesday night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Junior Griere Hughes led Iowa with 22 kills, junior Brie Orr tallied 51 assists and paced Iowa with 18 digs.
HEAR FROM COACH BROWN
“I am proud at how the team fought tonight. We have shown that we are a team that fights for every point and you will have to earn every point. Edina Schmidt had a career high with 14 kills, Courtney (Buzzerio) has 14, and Griere Hughes had 22. The challenge for us this week was getting more out of our outside hitters and that was the challenge presented to them and those three responded. We’re getting there, but we need to find a couple more points in these sets.”
SET 1 (25-18) | Junior Griere Hughes made a statement in the first set, tallying eight kills as the Hawkeyes got out to a 13-5 lead to force Minnesota’s second timeout of the set. Minnesota crept back into the set to bring the score to 20-15, but kills from Hughes, sophomore Amiya Jones, and junior Brie Orr kept the Golden Gophers at bay as a net violation clinched Iowa’s first set win of the night. Iowa hit .645 in the set.
SET 2 (25-21) | The Hawkeyes surrendered a 9-3 run to begin the second set before a solo block by Clayton shifted momentum in Iowa’s direction. Iowa continued to play smart volleyball, taking advantage of Minnesota’s errors to bring the score to 15-16, but an Iowa attack error gave Minnesota the lead back. Back-to-back kills from Orr gave Iowa hope to tie the score, but Minnesota proved to be too much in the second.
SET 3 (25-18) | Iowa returned to form in the third set with kills by Hughes, Courtney Buzzerio, and Jones. A couple Hawkeye attack errors allowed Minnesota to tie the set at eight. A 6-1 Gopher run gave Iowa some adversity to overcome. Iowa pulled the score to within two points after a successful challenge on a net violation followed by a Hughes kill, but Minnesota refused to give up any more ground. Iowa called its second timeout of the set trailing 12-18. The Hawkeyes and Gophers traded points for the rest of the set as Minnesota cruised to the set victory, 25-18.
SET 4 (30-28) | The Hawkeyes opened with a block by Jones and freshman Blythe Rients, but Minnesota began gain momentum and held onto a two-point lead before a kill from Rients turned the tide again. Iowa tied the score at 11 after a Hughes kill and gained the lead on a Gopher net violation. Iowa took a 23-20 lead after a flurry of kills from Hughes. Minnesota tied the score at 25 to force extra volleyball. Iowa and Minnesota went back-and-forth. Iowa had three set points to Minnesota’s one, but the Gophers converted their set point to win the match.
NOTABLES
- Iowa hit .645 in the first set.
- Courtney Buzzerio hit her team-leading 19th ace of the season.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to face No. 5 Penn State on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT). Stream the match on BTN+ or follow live stats at hawkeyesports.com/vblive.
