CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball picked up a sweep over Cal Baptist to close out the Hawkeye Invitational at Xtream Arena on Saturday.
Iowa improved to 4-1 on the season. It is Iowa’s best start to the season since 2016 (5-0).
Freshman Dominique Phills recorded a season-high 10 kills in the win over the Lancers. Fellow freshman Malu Garcia hit at a blistering .750 clip, converting on 9-of-12 swings.
Junior Claire Ammeraal led the Hawkeyes with 24 assists, while nearing a triple-double with nine kills and eight digs. Iowa tallied seven blocks, including back-to-back rejections to seal the match. As a team, the Hawkeyes hit .276, while holding Cal Baptist to a .110 hitting percentage.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JIM BARNES
“With so many new players, we are a work in progress, but it was great to win three sets in a row. Our left-handers Claire (Ammeraal) and Malu (Garcia) led us offensively. Michelle (Urquhart) played great defense and passed extremely well.”
MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 25-17)
The Hawkeyes and Lancers traded early points, before Iowa pulled away at 8-4. Iowa won the race to 10 with a pair of terminations from Phills. A handful of errors by both teams in the middle of the set prevented momentum swinging to either side. Leading 17-15, Iowa took control of the set on a Cal Baptist error, followed by a kill from sophomore Hannah Whittingstall, block from senior Michelle Urquhart and Whittingstall, and kill from redshirt freshman Alyssa Worden to go up, 21-15. The Hawkeyes continued capitalizing on Lancer errors and applied pressure at the net with blocks from Ammeraal and Whittingstall. Iowa took the set on a kill from Phills, assisted by Urquhart.
SET TWO (IOWA 25-22)
Phills continued her stellar performance from set one, recording a pair of kills to give Iowa its first points. An ace from Whittingstall gave Iowa a 4-2 lead. Cal Baptist responded with three consecutive kills to take a 6-5 advantage. Trailing 11-8, the Hawkeyes began their comeback on a Lancer service error, followed by kills from Gibson and Ammeraal. A Cal Baptist timeout stopped the Iowa run, as the teams traded points until the 17-17 mark. The Hawkeyes gained separation after kills from Urquhart and Whittingstall, along with a block from Ammeraal and Whittingstall. Leading 22-21, Iowa clinched the set with three kills from Garcia.
SET THREE (IOWA 25-21)
Set three started with alternating aces and kills from both teams. Cal Baptist went on a 4-0 run to break an 8-all tie. Iowa immediately responded with a 5-1 run of its own, courtesy of attacking success from Ammeraal and Phills. The third set featured runs from both teams. Iowa led, 16-15, before Cal Baptist used a 4-1 burst to go out in front, 19-17. Instead of calling a timeout, Iowa adjusted and rattled off kills from Garcia and Urquhart, and an ace from freshman Jaimie Marquardt to win the race to 20. A timeout swung momentum back into Cal Baptist’s favor, giving the Lancers a 21-20 lead. The Hawkeyes dug in and captured the next five points, finishing the match with back-to-back blocks to win the match.
UP NEXT: The Hawkeyes travel to Ames for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series match against Iowa State on Sept. 11.