CORALVILLE, Iowa –The University of Iowa volleyball team defeated Rutgers, 3-1, on Friday afternoon in its second weekend inside Xtream Arena.
The Hawkeyes dominated the first two sets, (25-19, 25-17), dropped the third (25-23), and finished off the Scarlet Knights in set four (25-17).
Sophomore outside hitter Edina Schmidt led Iowa and set career highs in kills (21) and hitting percentage (.395). Schmidt is the first Hawkeyes to register 20+ kills this season and was one of three Hawkeyes with double-digit kills.
“We’ve been working hard in practice on those line shots and I found that today,” Schmidt said. “I couldn’t have done it without my team having my back and telling me to swing away. I felt the energy from on and off the court.”
Junior middle blocker Amiya Jones posted a season-high 11 kills, with a .409 attacking percentage, followed by freshman outside hitter Audrey Black, who tied a career high with 10 kills.
Junior outside hitter Courtney Buzzerio was two kills shy of her fourth career triple-double, with eight kills, 26 assists, and 11 digs.
Iowa attacked at a .250 clip to tie a season-best 59 kills, while limiting Rutgers to only 40 kills and a .159 hitting percentage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Iowa, 25-19): Iowa jumped out to a five-point lead to make the score 9-4 courtesy of back-to-back aces by junior Maddie Slagle. Iowa went on a 3-0 to extend its lead to 13-7. A kill by Black gave the Hawkeyes a six-point lead bringing the score to 18-12. Up by four, a Buzzerio ace made the score 22-17 and Iowa took the final three points to win the set.
SET 2 (Iowa, 25-17): Tied at five, Slagle’s career-high third ace and Schmidt kill gave Iowa a 7-5 lead. Iowa led 12-8, before Rutgers mounted a small comeback to bring the score to 19-16, but the Hawkeyes responded. Iowa finished the set on a 6-1 run with kills by Schmidt and Buzzerio to snag the set and take a 2-0 lead. Iowa never trailed in the second set and Schmidt tallied 11 total kills in the first two sets.
SET 3 (Rutgers, 25-23): Rallying back and forth to start the third set, Iowa and Rutgers were tied at 15, before the Hawkeyes took a 19-16 lead. Rutgers rallied back on a five-point run to make it 22-19. Iowa answered with its own 4-0 run to lead 23-22. Out of a Rutgers timeout, the Scarlet Knights won the set with three straight points.
SET 4 (Iowa, 25-17): The Hawkeyes started the fourth and final set with a 10-5 lead, with kills by Schmidt, senior Hannah Clayton, Black and an ace by freshman Bailey Ortega. Iowa went on a 6-1 run to make the score 19-11. Rutgers tried to mount a comeback with a 4-1 run, but Iowa ended the set and match with a 3-0 run.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH VICKI BROWN
“This weekend is not over. That was a lesson to learn (from the Indiana weekend) with the unique conference schedule. We come back tomorrow knowing that some of the things that were not quite working for Rutgers will fall inside. We come in still hungry because this weekend isn’t over.”
NOTABLES
- Iowa is 2-7 this season and 9-1 all-time against Rutgers.
- Three Hawkeyes – sophomore Joslyn Boyer (18), Buzzerio (11), and Slagle (11) – recorded at least 10 digs.
- Jones led Iowa with six blocks.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will face the Scarlet Knights tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT) inside Xtream Arena.