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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The University of Iowa volleyball team (8-12, 2-7) fell to No. 20 Purdue (13-5, 5-4) in four sets inside Holloway Gymnasium on Friday night.
Sophomore Courtney Buzzerio led Iowa with 15 kills, junior Brie Orr added 35 assists, and junior Halle Johnston tallied 16 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (25-20) | Iowa and Purdue began the match even with both teams pacing each other until the eighth point when Purdue committed back-to-back hitting errors to give Iowa a lead to work with. Courtney Buzzerio and Hannah Clayton provided the offensive spark for the Hawkeyes with the duo trading kills finishing with a .400 and .429 hitting percentage, respectively, during the set. Purdue called its second timeout of the set with Iowa leading 21-16 and made a brief comeback to bring the score to 22-20, but Iowa sealed the set in convincing fashion, 25-20.
SET 2 (25-20) | Iowa opened on a quick 4-2 lead over Purdue, but the score began to even out as the set progressed. Purdue took an 8-7 lead and Iowa responded by taking a 12-10 lead. However, a 5-1 Boilermaker run forced Iowa to take a timeout. Iowa registered two kills from freshman Kyndra Hansen and sophomore Courtney Buzzerio, but Purdue managed to extend its lead to 20-15. Kills from freshman Blythe Rients and Hughes forced a Purdue timeout as both teams battled for momentum during the final stretch. Junior Brie Orr’s solo block out of the timeout brought Iowa within reach, but a 3-0 Purdue run was enough for the Boilermakers as the Hawkeyes looked toward set three.
SET 3 (25-16) | Iowa dug itself a hole in the third set, trailing 1-7. Iowa called its first timeout after bringing the score within six points at 15-9. Iowa’s offense stalled during the second half of the set, while Purdue capitalized on Iowa’s mistakes and took set three, 25-16.
SET 4 (25-15) | Iowa dropped behind for the second consecutive set, 4-0, but closed the gap with a kill from Buzzerio and ace from junior Halle Johnston. Trailing 6-10, Purdue took control of the set and went on a 9-4 run as the Hawkeyes looked to stage a late comeback and force a fifth set. Points began falling for the Hawkeyes with kills from Buzzerio, Hansen, and Orr, but it proved to be too late as Purdue took the set and match 25-15.
NOTABLES
- Sophomore Courtney Buzzerio registered her 12th double-digit kill match of the season.
- Freshman Blythe Rients notched her fourth straight match with five or more kills.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes turn around quickly and head to Bloomington, Indiana, to face the Hoosiers on Saturday night at 6 p.m. (CT). The match will be streamed on BTN Plus and FloVolleyball.
