NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey— The University of Iowa volleyball team defeated Rutgers, 3-1, in the only meeting between the two teams on Friday at the College Avenue Gymnasium.
Courtney Buzzerio led the way for the Hawkeyes with 18 kills and five service aces. Buzzerio registered five kills in three of the four sets. Amiya Jones had the highest attack percentage for the Hawkeyes, hitting at .476, with 11 kills and only one error. Bailey Ortega totaled a team-best 32 assists. Three Hawkeyes had double-digit digs: Mari Hinkle (18), Addie VanderWeide (12), and Ortega (11).
The Hawkeyes had a season-high 10 blocks, holding Rutgers to hitting .144 for the match. Hannah Clayton tallied seven and Buzzerio four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (Iowa, 25-22): The score remained close for the opening portion of the set as the Hawkeyes and the Scarlet Knights battled back-and-forth. With the score tied at 12, Iowa put together a 5-1 run to take a 17-13 lead. Rutgers answered with a run of its own to even the score at 18. The Hawkeyes eventually pulled away and took the first set by three.
SET 2 (Iowa, 25-16): Scoring went back-and-forth through the first 21 points. Rutgers had a narrow 11-10 lead. The Hawkeyes slowly built a lead, working their way to a 15-12 advantage. Iowa closed the set with an impressive 10-3 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
SET 3 (Rutgers, 25-20): The Scarlet Knights jumped out to an early 4-2 lead before the Hawkeyes fought back to tie things at 7-7. The score remained close until Rutgers went on a 7-1 run to take a 16-12 lead. The Hawkeyes responded by scoring four straight points to tie the set at 16. Rutgers pulled away to win the third set by five.
SET 4 (Iowa, 25-19): Iowa and Rutgers traded points to open the set. The teams kept things close as the score climbed to 7-7, 11-11, and 18-18. The Hawkeyes tallied the final five points of the set, which included three service aces by Buzzerio.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will play their 2021 finale tomorrow traveling to State College, Pennsylvania, to take on No. 15 Penn State. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at Rec Hall.