EVANSTON, Illinois — The University of Iowa volleyball team was defeated, 3-1, by Northwestern on Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Hawkeyes were led by Courtney Buzzerio with 11 kills. Buzzerio tallied a career-high five service aces as Iowa notched a season-best 10 aces. Bailey Ortega had 22 assists and Mari Hinkle totaled 13 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Northwestern, 25-13): The Wildcats scored the first 10 points to break things open. The Hawkeyes worked at chipping away at the Northwestern lead, but the Wildcats remained consistent, leading 19-8. The Hawkeyes called a timeout trailing by 11 and scored three points before Northwestern put things away.
SET 2 (Northwestern, 25-23): Northwestern opened things up taking a 5-1 lead before the Hawkeyes closed to within 9-8. A 3-0 Wildcat run made things 16-10. The Hawkeyes answered with four consecutive points to even the set at 18. Things went back-and-forth with Northwestern taking a 23-22 lead and ultimately taking the second set. The second set featured six ties and two lead changes.
SET 3 (Iowa, 25-13): The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage forcing a Northwestern timeout. Iowa maintained its lead at the service line with five service aces. The Hawkeyes slowly climbed their way up with runs, going up 16-8, and 20-10, before taking the third set.
SET 4 (Northwestern, 25-17): Northwestern took an early lead after a couple of scoring runs. The Wildcats led 14-6 before an Iowa timeout. The Hawkeyes scored two straight points after the break. Northwestern continued to grow its lead and Iowa elected to take a timeout trailing by seven. The Hawkeyes tallied three straight points, but Northwestern closed things out with a 3-0 run of its own.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes continue their road trip against Michigan State on Oct. 29. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) in East Lansing, Michigan.