CORALVILLE, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team was edged by Ball State, 3-2, Friday evening at Xtream Arena in the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament.
Junior Bailey Ortega led the Hawkeyes in assists with 49, freshman Addie VanderWeide tallied a team-best 15 digs, while senior Courtney Buzzerio had a match -best 22 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Ball State, 29-27): Scoring went back-and-forth from the start until Ball State took a four-point lead, 14-10. Toyosi Obanjo, Audrey Black, and Buzzerio kills got the momentum rolling to trim the deficit to 17-16. Iowa stayed scrappy, helping the Hawkeyes take a lead. Ball State took the lead again, 23-22. The teams went point-for-point until 25-25. The teams played cat and mouse until the Cardinals pulled ahead by two for the win. The set featured 13 ties and five lead point changes.
SET 2 (Ball State, 25-15): Ball State built an early four-point lead, 10-6. From there, the Hawkeyes brought their own enthusiasm and went on a run to shorten the lead, 13-11. The Cardinals went on to a 10-point win after securing nine of the final 11 points.
SET 3 (Iowa, 25-23): On par with the previous sets, the teams rallied back-and-forth within a few points until Iowa carried the same energy it had in the first set. The teams stayed within three points of each other the entire match, until Iowa pulled ahead by two at the right time, with a big Buzzerio kill for a Hawkeye win to extend the match.
SET 4 (Iowa, 25-18): The score was tied 5-5, when Hannah Clayton had four kills in a row to pull the Hawkeyes ahead on the start of a five-point run. The energy brought the Hawkeyes to a lead 13-9. Iowa was up by eight at one point and cruised the rest of the set.
SET 5 (Ball State, 15-12): Iowa was the first to five points with a score of 5-2. Ball State responded, tying the Hawkeyes at 8-8 and 9-9. Ball State took a one-point lead until Iowa brought it back to 10-10. The Cardinals then reclaimed the lead, 14-11. A Buzzerio kill gave the Hawkeyes the ball back, but Ball State ultimately prevailed.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH VICKI BROWN
“We definitely saw a lot of things we have been working on during the last couple of weeks with our defense, and also our scramble play, effort, and playing the plays. If we get ourselves in trouble with the first contact in the serve receive then that cover ball is coming up for this play no matter what. Our serve picked up and we really started going after our targets, and that got them out of system a lot more. Courtney took it to another level between blocking, slowing down their outsides, and also getting her kills. That third and fourth set is more of our team identity.”
NOTABLES
- Addie VanderWeide recorded a career-high 23 digs.
- Bailey Ortega had a career high in assists with 49.
- The Hawkeyes recorded seven total aces tonight.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes host in-state rival Iowa State on Saturday in the final match of the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at Xtream Arena.
