IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa volleyball team (3-12) fell to No. 5 Nebraska (11-2) in a three-set battle Wednesday night inside Xtream Arena.
Iowa led late in the first set, 17-15, before falling 25-19 to begin the match. The Hawkeyes trailed 12-7 in the second set, but battled all the way back cutting the deficit to 15-14 forcing a Nebraska timeout. Iowa couldn’t get over the hump and fell 25-21 in the second set, before dropping the last set, 25-11.
Junior Courtney Buzzerio led Iowa with nine kills, 11 assists, and eight digs, while sophomores Joslyn Boyer (11) and Edina Schmidt (10) recorded double-digit digs. Schmidt’s 10 digs were a career high.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Nebraska, 25-19): Iowa fell behind 8-4, but was able to tie the set with a 4-0 run, highlighted by kills by Schmidt and Clayton. Another scoring run gave Iowa a 13-11 lead and Iowa led 15-13 after the first media timeout. Iowa’s first attacking error came late in the first, tying the set at 17, before Nebraska took a 19-17 advantage, forcing Iowa to use its first timeout. Sophomore Blythe Rients gave Iowa life with a kill out of the timeout. Nebraska, however, ended the first set on a 5-0 run to win the first set 25-19.
SET 2 (Nebraska, 25-21): Trailing 15-9, Iowa went on a 5-0 run polished off with an ace by Schmidt to make it 15-14, forcing Nebraska to call a timeout. Down 23-18, Iowa used two kills by Buzzerio and a solid block by Jones to bring Iowa within two to make it 23-21. Nebraska closed out the final set, winning the last two points.
SET 3 (Nebraska, 25-11): Iowa fell behind 7-1 and 16-6, forcing the Hawkeyes to burn both of their timeouts. Iowa couldn’t get going offensively and could never mount a comeback falling in the final set.
HEAR FROM COACH BROWN
“The longer you go into your season, the more you’re going to be in the rally situation. Our young hitters are learning that it’s not always going to be your first hit. It’s going to be your second or third that gets you your point.”
NOTABLES
- Iowa’s 29 kills were its lowest in its last nine matches.
- Schmidt had five kills and hit .455 in the first set to lead Iowa to a .212 hitting percentage.
- Defensively, both teams registered five total blocks, but Nebraska had 49 digs to Iowa’s 37.
UP NEXT
Iowa completes its regular-season series with No. 5 Nebraska on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT) inside the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.