CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball dropped the finale of its weekend homestand to No. 10 Purdue, 3-1, on Saturday night at Xtream Arena.
Freshman Malu Garcia set a career high in kills with 20, while hitting at a .366 clip. Senior Gracie Gibson recorded 10 kills on the night and hit .368. Iowa out-blocked Purdue, the Big Ten’s third-best blocking team, 13-8. Senior Joy Galles led the Hawkeyes defensively with 12 digs.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JIM BARNES
“I’m proud of how we showed the potential of our team tonight. We had a chance in the fourth to push it to five but fell just short. I am proud of our blocking and how we won set two.”
MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (PURDUE 25-17)
Iowa won three of the first four points with kills from Garcia and Gibson. Purdue rebounded with a 5-0 run and forced an Iowa timeout, leading 6-3. The Hawkeyes recovered and battled back to within one at 8-7, off a dominant swing from Garcia. The Boilermakers then won five of the next six points, before a Gibson kill stopped the run. Purdue built its lead to 18-10 and caused Iowa to call a timeout. The Hawkeyes pulled within five on a couple of occasions, but Purdue held off every run of the Hawkeyes. Purdue won back-to-back points to claim the set. Garcia highlighted the set with six kills and hit .500.
SET TWO (IOWA 25-19)
Iowa won consecutive points on a pair of Purdue errors to start the set. A kill from Garcia and continuous capitalization on Boilermaker errors gave the Hawkeyes a comfortable lead at 4-0. Purdue would get on the board, but Iowa stayed hot and consistent with a couple more kills to boost the lead to 6-1. Purdue rattled off four points in a row, to come within one at 6-5. The Hawkeyes gained some separation on kills from Garcia and sophomore Hannah Whittingstall at 9-6. The Boilermakers pulled within one at 11-10, but a 9-1 run from Iowa would allow the Hawkeyes to take control of the set at 20-11. The Hawkeyes never trailed in the set and the Boilermakers made a push late, fighting off three set points before Iowa evened the match on a Garcia kill. Garcia recorded eight kills in the second set.
SET THREE (PURDUE 25-18)
As they did in the first two sets, the Hawkeyes got out to a 2-0 lead in the third. Purdue was quicker to adjust and regroup this time, gaining the lead at 3-2 on an Iowa error. Garcia drilled her 15th kill to pull the teams even at three. After tying the set at six, Iowa surrendered six of the next seven points to fall behind 12-7. A pair of Iowa timeouts aimed to stop the Boilermakers, but they controlled the set from that point on. The Hawkeyes staved off four set points on freshman Jenna Meitzler’s serve before Purdue ultimately won the set on a termination.
SET FOUR (PURDUE 25-21)
The fourth set featured several runs by each team in the early going. Purdue opened the scoring on a 3-0 run. The Hawkeyes responded, tying the set at five. The Boilermakers answered with a 5-0 run, forcing an Iowa timeout at 10-5. A kill from Urquhart and block from Meitzler and Whittingstall brought Iowa within three out of the timeout. Garcia drilled her career-best 18th kill to bring Iowa within two at 14-12. The frame settled down, with the teams winning singular points without any runs. With Iowa trailing 20-19, the Boilermakers won five of the last seven points to win the match.
UP NEXT: Iowa hits the road, traveling to Northwestern on Oct. 16 for a midweek contest against the Wildcats. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network with first serve scheduled for 8 p.m. (CT).