CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball fell to Saint Louis, 3-1, at the Kwik Star Klassic inside Xtream Arena on Friday night.
Iowa drops to 6-5 on the season.
Freshman Malu Garcia paced the Iowa offense with a career-best 17 kills. Senior Gracie Gibson converted on 8-of-13 attempts, while sophomore Hannah Whittingstall tallied seven kills. Freshman Jenna Meitzler had 41 assists. Senior Joy Galles and redshirt freshman Olivia Lombardi registered double-digit digs with 17 and 11, respectively.
The Hawkeyes edged Saint Louis in digs (51-47), blocks (11-8) and aces (8-5).
HEAR FROM COACH BARNES
“We didn’t execute well enough tonight. We only had two hitters put the ball away. The sets were close, but we just did not have the offense that we needed to win. It’s disappointing because we did execute a lot of our game. We out-blocked them, out-dug them, out-served them, but did not have enough kill production.”
MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 25-20)
The Hawkeyes dominated set one, leading wire-to-wire. Iowa got out to a 4-1 lead on kills from Garcia and sophomore Gabby Deery. The Hawkeyes built on their lead with a block by Deery and Whittingstall. Iowa widened its advantage on several attacking errors from Saint Louis to build a 10-4 lead. After a Saint Louis timeout, the Billikens went on a 6-2 run to cut Iowa’s lead down to two. Gibson stopped the run with a kill. The Hawkeyes matched their largest lead at 18-12 on kills from Whittingstall, Deery and Garcia. Saint Louis fought off three set points before Garcia terminated an attack to give the Hawkeyes the 1-0 lead. Iowa hit .312 and held the Billikens to .116 in the opening set.
SET TWO (SAINT LOUIS 25-23)
The second frame turned out to be a tale of two sets. Saint Louis gained a 2-0 lead before both teams alternated points. The set featured short rallies and quick points. Iowa tied it at six on a kill from Garcia. Overall, the second set was tight without any major runs or streaks until Saint Louis went on a pair of 4-0 runs. Trailing 15-9, Iowa capitalized on Billiken miscues to pull within two at 15-13. Senior Michelle Urquhart notched two aces to give the Hawkeyes their first lead of the set at 17-16. The advantage toggled back and forth the rest of the set. Iowa staved off two set points on kills from Garcia, before Saint Louis ultimately pulled out the set. The Billikens hit at a .310 clip, while Iowa dropped to .103 in the set.
SET THREE (SAINT LOUIS 25-19)
The Hawkeyes came out swinging in set three, capitalizing on two sharp swings from Deery and Garcia. Saint Louis settled in and eventually took a 7-6 lead. The Billikens pushed ahead on a 6-0 run, before Garcia downed an attack. Iowa battled back winning four of the next five points to pull within two at 14-12. A Saint Louis timeout sparked a 4-0 Billiken run, increasing Iowa’s deficit to 18-12. Urquhart shined from the service line again for the Hawkeyes, recording three aces. Despite chipping away at the Saint Louis lead, Iowa was not able to climb back in the set.
SET FOUR (SAINT LOUIS 25-22)
Garcia set a career high on the first point of the fourth set, drilling her 16th kill of the match. Iowa carried that momentum forward, sprinting out to a 6-2 lead. Saint Louis answered with a 6-0 run, forcing an Iowa timeout. The Hawkeyes grabbed a brief lead on a kill from Gibson but could not string together consecutive points consistently to hold the lead. Kills from Garcia and Phills pulled Iowa within one. Trailing 18-17, Iowa’s net presence shut down five attacks in a row before Phills terminated the long rally to tie the set. After a Billiken timeout, the Hawkeyes recorded back-to-back blocks to lead 20-18. A couple of Iowa errors allowed Saint Louis back into the set. The Billikens won the match on an ace.
UP NEXT: Iowa closes out the Kwik Star Klassic against Drake at 2 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. The match will be broadcast on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.