Iowa Drops Finale to No. 15 Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The University of Iowa volleyball team lost, 3-0, to No. 15 Penn State on Saturday at Rec Hall.

The final match of the 2021 season for the Hawkeyes featured 19 ties and five lead changes. Senior Courtney Buzzerio tallied a match-high 17 kills while hitting .385. Sophomore Bailey Ortega totaled a team-best 32 assists, while junior Mari Hinkle led the team with 15 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

SET 1 (Penn State, 25-22): The Hawkeyes opened the first set on a 4-0 run and worked their way out to an 8-5 lead. Penn State clawed back and tied things at 13. Scoring then was back-and-forth as the teams remained tied at 17 and 20. Penn State pulled away to win the first set by three.

SET 2 (Penn State, 28-26): Iowa built a 7-5 lead before the Nittany Lions tied things at 8. Penn State would build an 18-13 lead, but the Hawkeyes scored four-straight to force a Penn State timeout. Later in the set, a 6-3 run from the Hawkeyes evened the score at 23. Iowa and Penn State traded points forcing extra volleyball until Penn State scored two straight points to take the second set.

SET 3 (Penn State, 25-19): Penn State jumped out to an early 10-6 lead, which grew to a 14-8 lead. With Penn State leading, 20-13, the Hawkeyes closed the gap to 23-18, before Penn State eventually won the set by six. Buzzerio closed out her final set as a Hawkeye with a staggering nine kills.

Iowa finished the 2021 season with a 6-24 overall record and a 4-16 mark in the Big Ten.