Hawkeyes Come Up Short Against Northwestern

CORALVILLE, Iowa – The University of Iowa volleyball team fell to Northwestern, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at Xtream Arena. The Hawkeyes drop to 9-17 overall and 3-11 in conference.

Sophomore Hannah Whittingstall recorded two career highs with 16 kills and four aces. She notched a team-high .565 hitting percentage. Senior Michelle Urquhart hit double digits with 11 kills, while recording five digs and two blocks. Freshman Jenna Meitzler had 40 assists and two kills. Senior Joy Galles led the defense with 10 digs.

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (NORTHWESTERN 25-23)
Iowa got out to an early 3-1 lead with a kill from Urquhart and block from freshman Malu Garcia and Whittingstall. Both teams would trade kills early in the set, with the Hawkeyes finding a small run to push ahead 8-4 on kills by Whittingstall and redshirt freshman Alyssa Worden. Iowa would win the race to 10, before Northwestern closed the gap at 11-10. The Hawkeyes used a 4-1 run to lead 15-11 heading into the media timeout. Both teams found small runs on the race to 25. Northwestern inched closer at 16-15 before a 3-0 run from Iowa forced a Northwestern timeout. The Hawkeyes pushed ahead 23-20 before the Wildcats finished on a 5-0 run to close the first set.

SET TWO (IOWA 25-15)
Northwestern got out to an early 2-0 run before the Hawkeyes found two points of their own to tie it at 2-2. The set remained tight with both teams trading points until Northwestern sprinted on a 3-0 run to go up 9-8. The Hawkeyes responded with an 8-0 run of their own to lead 16-9. The Wildcats would not be able to close the gap as Iowa took command of the set. A few more kills from Urquhart and Whittingstall pushed the Hawkeyes to a set win.

SET THREE (NORTHWESTERN 25-18)
The Wildcats won the first three points before a kill from Urquhart got the Hawkeyes on the board. Both teams traded runs with the Hawkeyes closing the gap on a 3-0 run to trail 7-6. Northwestern responded with its own run to win the race to 10 at 10-6. Neither team could find much separation with Northwestern holding a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. Northwestern was able to string together a couple points to force an Iowa timeout at 20-16. Garcia responded out of the timeout with a kill to bring the Hawkeyes within four at 21-17. Northwestern would close the set on a 4-1 run to take a 2-1 set lead over Iowa.

SET FOUR (NORTHWESTERN 25-18)
Despite falling behind 5-2, the Hawkeyes fought back with a run to tie the set at 6-6, on kills from Whittingstall and Urquhart. The race to 10 was tight with Northwestern finding the edge at 10-9. The Hawkeyes would tie the set at 10-10 before a 6-1 run from the Wildcats put them ahead 16-11. The Hawkeyes would not be able to find any runs to catch Northwestern late in the set. The visitors finished on a 5-0 run to close the set and win the match.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes continue their homestand, facing Indiana on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6:00 p.m. (CT) and Michigan State on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2:00 p.m. Join the Hawkeyes for a Black Out game Thursday and Senior Day on Sunday. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.