CORALVILLE, Iowa — University of Iowa volleyball fell to Grand Canyon, 3-0, Sunday evening inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
Nataly Moravec led the way for the Hawkeyes with 9 kills, and Kaia Mateo hit at a clip of .667. Delaney McSweeneyalso had a noteworthy hitting percentage of .455. Bailey Ortega registered 14 assists for the Hawkeyes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 (GCU, 25-18): The match started off with a bang when Gabby Deery and Ortega paired up for a Hawkeye kill. Iowa took advantage of a GCU error, and McSweeney added a kill to the board. The set was tight early, tying at three, four, and five. After a few kills by the Lopes, Michelle Urquhart came through swinging from the back row to register a kill. The Lopes pulled ahead, but Iowa closed the spread to three with a kill and an ace by Mateo. Three consecutive kills by Moravec sent GCU into a timeout. Iowa continued to fight but couldn’t catch up, and the Lopes took the set.
SET 2 (GCU, 25-14): GCU clinched the first point, but Iowa quickly responded with a kill by Caitlan Buettner, assisted by Ortega. The Hawkeyes trailed closely behind early in the set, but climbed back up with a kill by Mateo. Iowa posted a couple of points to the board thanks to a kill by Anna Davis and a GCU error. Ortega assisted two consecutive kills, the first by Moravec and the second by McSweeney. The Lopes held the lead, but Ortega shortened the spread with a kill. Iowa posted a point to the board after an attack error by GCU. Mateo assisted Moravec for a successful attack, but the Lopes kept the lead and finished the set on top.
SET 3 (GCU, 25-16): Iowa opened the match strong with a McSweeney kill, assisted by Ortega. Audrey Black swung hard from the right side and recorded a kill. The set remained close in the beginning, tying four times. The Hawkeyes broke the tie and took the lead after a Moravec kill. Iowa followed closely behind GCU, and closed the spread to a tie after a kill by McSweeney. The Lopes took the lead again, but Urquhart posted a kill and Iowa took the ball back. Freshman Rosa Vesty added a kill to the books, lessening the spread to two. Caitlan Buettner broke the GCU scoring run with back-to-back outside kills. The Hawkeyes fell short, and GCU took the set and the match.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to Syracuse, New York to play on Friday, Sept. 9 against Syracuse in the Syracuse Invitational. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+.
