IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa volleyball team fell in four sets to Michigan State inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday night.
Iowa clinched the first set 25-18, before dropping the last three sets 25-22, 25-13, and 25-21.
Led by sophomore outside hitter Edina Schmidt’s 10 kills, six Hawkeyes registered five or more kills. Junior outside hitter Courtney Buzzerio recorded nine kills, followed by junior middle blocker Blythe Rients, who posted eight kills – her most in her last eight games.
Sophomore libero Joslyn Boyer led Iowa’s back row with 16 kills to tally her 12th match with double-digit digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Iowa, 25-18): highlighted by two Amiya Jones kill and capped off by a Buzzerio ace, Iowa used an early 6-0 run to take a 10-3 lead. The Hawkeyes tacked on two of the next three points to hold a 12-4 advantage, forcing Michigan State to burn its second timeout. The Spartans brought the score within three, 20-17, late in the set, but it was all Hawkeyes down the stretch. Iowa scored five of the last six points to win the opening set.
SET 2 (Michigan State, 25-22): Falling behind 13-7, Iowa was forced to use its first timeout of the match. Back-to-back kills by Buzzerio made the score 15-10, before Michigan State reupped its lead to 17-10. Iowa brought it within five again (21-16) on a Michigan State attacking error. Facing set point (24-17), Iowa rattled off five straight points to trail by just two. Michigan State won the second set on a Lauren Swarts kill to even the match at one.
SET 3 (Michigan State, 25-13): Tied at seven, Michigan State won 10 of the next 13 points to take a 17-10 lead. Trailing 20-12, Iowa was forced to call its final timeout. The Spartans ended the set on a 4-0 to take a 2-1 lead. Iowa didn’t have an answer for Michigan State’s outside hitter Alyssa Chronowski, who recorded five kills in the third set, and a season-best 13 in the match.
SET 4 (Michigan State, 25-21): Iowa jumped out to a 6-2 lead to force a Michigan State timeout. The Spartans tied it at six with a 4-0, before kills by Buzzerio and Rients put Iowa on top 8-6. Iowa answered 4-0 run by the Spartans with two straight points to tie it at 10. A block by Jones and Schmidt boosted Iowa to an 18-15 lead, forcing a Spartan timeout. Michigan State went on a 5-1 run out of the timeout to take a 20-19 lead, forcing Iowa to use a timeout. Iowa tied it at 20, before Michigan State scored five of the final six points to win the match.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH VICKI BROWN
“Finding our middles early was working and the backside ball with Courtney and Blythe was working. Edina as a back row option to balance out the defense was working. Throughout the match our passing was at a high level. We lost our middles going into set two, three and four. We are learning that it isn’t enough to have offensive success. We have to slow down teams.”
NOTABLES
- Iowa opened the first set with .241 hitting percentage.
- Freshman setter Bailey Ortega led Iowa with 22 assists, followed by Buzzerio’s 19.
UP NEXT
Iowa faces Michigan State in its final home match of the season tomorrow at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The match will be streamed on B1G Network+. Attendance is limited to family members of student-athletes and coaches.