Hawkeyes Suffer First Loss of 2025

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – University of Iowa volleyball fell in a five-set defeat to Southeast Missouri State at Houck Field House on Thursday night. It was the first five-set loss for Iowa since 2023 and snapped a streak of five such wins in a row.

Graduate student Chard’e Vanzandt had her best night as a Hawkeye with a season-high 22 kills. The native of Houston, Texas, hit .312. Vanzandt is the first Hawkeye with 20+ kills since Michelle Urquhart accomplished the feat last season against Illinois.

Freshman Carmel Vares complimented Vanzandt, walking away with a season-best 17 kills and an even .500 hitting percentage. Vares had only three errors. Senior libero Milana Moisio had a career-best 19 digs and seven assists.

Senior Claire Ammeraal was again a force at the net, recording 44 assists, seven kills, and seven digs. Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden found crafty ways to find the floor, scoring 10 kills and nine digs. Sophomore Jaimie Marquardt was effective from the service line with a team-high three aces.

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 25-21)
Vares led the Hawkeyes early, securing three quick kills to open a 3-0 lead. SEMO responded with a 4-0 run of its own to push in front. Both teams traded a couple errors, before kills from Vanzandt and Ammeraal brought Iowa within one at 9-8. Vanzandt tipped to a hole in the defense to tie the set at 10-all. Iowa built a 15-12 lead heading into the media timeout on two kills from Worden and a kill from Vares. A pair of kills from the Redhawks pulled them within one at 15-14. Iowa found a few points to lead 17-15 before SEMO quickly responded to tie the set at 17-17. Iowa got a two-point lead on a Stojanovic kill and SEMO error to win the race to 20. The Hawkeyes locked in with a 4-1 run, forcing a Redhawk timeout. The Redhawks saved two set points before a Vares kill secured Iowa the first set. The opening-set victory ran Iowa’s streak to 14 set wins in a row, tying the third-longest streak in program history.

SET TWO (SEMO 25-23)
Vanzandt had two kills in the opening of set two to give Iowa a 4-3 lead. Stojanovic got Iowa’s first block to extend the lead to 5-3. After the Redhawks tied the set at 5-5, the Hawkeyes looked to Vanzandt to regain the lead. A kill from Stojanovic and solo block from Whittingstall expanded Iowa’s lead to 8-6. In a back-and-forth set, Worden found the floor with a roll shot and a Jaimie Marquardt ace gave the Hawkeyes a 10-9 advantage. Neither team was able to find much separation through the middle of the set. The Redhawks led going into the media timeout 15-12, with Iowa closing the gap to one after back-to-back points. Trailing 18-15, Vares smacked her first kill since the end of the first set. A successful Iowa challenge kept Iowa within two at 19-17. After consecutive SEMO points, Whittingstall executed a strong swing to stop the run at 22-19. Three kills from Vanzandt saved a set point and got Iowa within one at 24-23. The Redhawks respond with a kill to take the second set. The competitive set featured seven ties and three lead changes. SEMO was able to out hit Iowa, .205 to .182.

SET THREE (IOWA 25-19)
Iowa pins heated up in the third, starting with two kills from Vanzandt to get an early 4-0 lead. Vanzandt’s 11th kill put Iowa up 5-3. Back-to-back kills from Vares and a Stojanovic block gave the Hawkeyes an 8-3 lead. Iowa won the race to ten off a Vares kill, as Iowa’s pins began to takeover. Iowa found energy in the set, with two more kills from Vanzandt and Vares to lead 17-12. Marquardt painted the baseline for her second ace of the night, giving Iowa a 20-13 advantage. The Redhawks found a couple points to get within four, before a service error and Vanzandt kill shut down their momentum at 23-17. Back-to-back kills from Vanzandt closed out the third set for the Hawkeyes. Iowa hit a scorching .514, with 19 kills, with Vanzandt and Vares recording 16 of those.

SET FOUR (SEMO 25-22)
Yet again, Iowa got out to an early lead for the fourth straight set, with two blocks and a Whittingstall ace. Despite leading 4-1, SEMO responded to tie the set at six all. Two Vares kills and a Marquardt ace put Iowa up, 9-7. Worden mixed up her shots, finding new gaps in the defense to put Iowa up 11-10. Ammeraal leapt up for a solo block to keep Iowa in front at 12-11. The Hawkeyes built up a 17-13 lead off a Vares kill and SEMO error. But the Redhawks responded with a 6-1 run to take the lead at 19-18. A Whittingstall kill tied the set at 19 each. Worden split the defense for an ace to give the Hawkeyes a 20-19 lead. As both teams traded kills, SEMO gained control with a pair of points. Out of a timeout and facing set point, Vanzandt’s 20th kill kept Iowa alive in the set. , before the Redhawks finished on the next point, forcing a fifth set.

SET FIVE (SEMO 15-7)
SEMO opened the fifth set 3-0, winning their first opening point of the match. A kill from Vares stopped the Redhawk run at 3-1. Worden’s tenth kill cut the score in half at 4-2. Vanzandt demolished the ball to tie the set at six. SEMO gained momentum with an 8-0 run, playing both sides of the ball well. Vanzandt held off match point with her 22nd kill, at 14-7. SEMO responded quickly, closing the match on the next point.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes return for day two of the SEMO Invite on Friday, taking on Murray State at 3:00 p.m. at the Houck Field House. There will be no video stream of the match. Listen live for free to John Evans on the Hawkeye Radio Network.