EAST LANSING, Michigan — The University of Iowa Volleyball team defeated Michigan State, 3-1, on Friday at the Jenison Field House.
Iowa had a balanced offensive attack with four Hawkeyes registering nine or more kills against the Spartans. Freshmen Addie VanderWeide led the way with 11 kills. Courtney Buzzerio, Amiya Jones, and Edina Schmidt each tallied nine kills. Bailey Ortega had 24 assists and Mari Hinkle totaled a match-best 12 digs. Iowa notched a season-high nine blocks en route to victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Iowa, 27-25): Michigan State took an early 9-6 advantage before the Hawkeyes started chipping away. Iowa took a 17-15 lead before a 4-0 run by Michigan State. Iowa battled back and traded points the rest of the way with the Spartans. Back-to-back kills by Buzzerio and Schmidt closed out the first set for the Hawkeyes. The first set featured nine ties and four lead changes.
SET 2 (Michigan State, 25-19): Michigan State sprinted out to a 6-2 lead to open the second set. The Hawkeyes rallied back to tie the score at 13 and 17 before the Spartans pulled away with a series of runs to even the match.
SET 3 (Iowa, 25-16): It was Iowa who jumped out to a lead in the third set, 8-4, forcing a Michigan State timeout. The Hawkeyes continued to pull away taking a 16-12 lead. Four consecutive points extended Iowa’s lead to 20-13. The Hawkeyes cruised the rest of the set, ultimately winning by nine..
SET 4 (Iowa, 25-21): The Hawkeyes opened the fourth set building a 7-3 lead before the Spartans trimmed the Hawkeye lead to 9-7. Three straight points by the Spartans cut Iowa’s advantage to 14-11. The Hawkeyes had a run of their own to rebuild their cushion to 19-14. The Spartans tried to chip away at the Hawkeye advantage, cutting it to 22-20, but Iowa won three of the last four points.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH VICKI BROWN
“I am very proud of our team today. It truly was a team victory. From defense to offense, every single player, Courtney, Hannah, Amiya, Addie, Edina, Maddie, Bailey, Audrey, Mari, and Jenna. They fought for it. We talk a lot in practice about how we are close and just need to keep fighting. They came in and used a full week of great preparation and practice today. We eliminated our unforced errors numbers tonight. We look forward to carrying this momentum into our match against Michigan tomorrow night.”
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes continue their road trip against Michigan on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.