Hawkeyes' Rally Falls Short at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – University of Iowa volleyball fell short in a reverse sweep attempt on Friday night inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hawkeyes move to 12-11 on the season and 3-8 in the Big Ten.

After losing the first two sets 25-22 and 25-19, respectively, Iowa responded with 25-23 and 25-18 set wins. The Hawkeyes couldn’t convert the reverse sweep and fell in the fifth set, 15-10.

Iowa played aggressively at the net and outhit the Wildcats .346 to .297, with 70 kills to their 62 kills. The Hawkeyes held the advantage at the net, recording 10 blocks while Northwestern only had two. From the service line, Northwestern had the distinct advantage. The Wildcats had 12 aces and seven errors. Iowa had four aces and 14 errors.

Iowa’s middles were explosive on Friday, combining for 26 kills. Junior Hannah Whittingstall recorded 14 kills on 21 swings with one error and hit a team-high .619. Sophomore Aleksandra Stojanovic terminated 12 kills and hit .400. She led the team with seven blocks.

Senior Claire Ammeraal and redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden recorded their seventh and third double-doubles, respectively, of the season. Ammeraal dished out 52 assists with 11 digs, while tallying three kills. Worden ended with 13 kills and 10 digs and hit .360.

Iowa had five hitters record double-digit kills during the match. Graduate Chard’e Vanzandt led the team with 17 kills. Freshman Carmel Vares had 11 kills and five blocks on the night.

Iowa finished with a 1-4 record in the Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge matches.

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (NORTHWESTERN 25-22)
Stojanovic opened the match with a quick kill to send herself to the service line. Sophomore Jaimie Marquardt dropped in an ace to give Iowa a 4-1 lead. Northwestern used a 6-0 run to put the Wildcats in front 7-4 and Iowa called a timeout. Out of the timeout, Vanzandt terminated from the left side. A cross-court kill from Whittingstall got Iowa a first ball sideout, as Northwestern led 9-6. A block from Ammeraal pulled the Hawkeyes within two. Worden’s first kill of the night kept the Hawkeyes within reach at 10-8. After trailing 9-5, Iowa tied the set on a Vares kill at 10-10. Stojanovic won a joust to stop a Northwestern run, as Iowa trailed 15-12. Iowa climbed within one on several occasions late in the set, but could not tie nor take the lead until a Vanzandt kill evened it up at 20-20. Northwestern won consecutive points and forced an Iowa timeout at 22-20. The 3-0 run from the Wildcats ended with a Vares kill. Iowa saved one set point before a Wildcat termination ended the set. Both teams played low-error volleyball.

SET TWO (NORTHWESTERN 25-19)
The Wildcats started the set on a 3-0 run. The first service error from Northwestern opened the scoring for the Hawkeyes. Staying consistent from the service line, the Wildcats got out to an early 10-4 lead. Iowa trailed 14-5 before calling a timeout. A 5-0 run ignited the Hawkeyes, leading to a Northwestern timeout at 14-10. Stojanovic punished an overpass to get a first ball sideout, Iowa trailing 15-11. Iowa was able to claw back within three at 19-16, but could not close the gap any tighter. A kill from Vares knocked off Northwestern’s strongest server at 20-17. Trailing 22-17, Iowa called its second timeout to regroup and attempt a late run. The lead was too large to close, and the Wildcats finished the set on a block.

SET THREE (IOWA 25-23)
Northwestern opened another set on a run, getting ahead 4-0 as Iowa burned its first timeout. Sophomore Jenna Meitzler entered to serve for Ammeraal in the third set. A block from Stojanovic and Vares brought Iowa within one at 5-4. The set was played in back-and-forth fashion, with neither team finding much separation. Tied at 16, Iowa went on a 3-0 run on a Northwestern error and back-to-back blocks from Stojanovic and Vares. Northwestern responded right away to tie the set again at 19-19. Iowa got a two-point advantage at 21-19 off a kill from Vanzandt and Northwestern error. The Wildcats took a timeout. Iowa led 22-19 before Northwestern rattled off two in a row to get within one. Vares put Iowa up 23-21 on a kill from the right side. Northwestern saved one set point, before a Worden solo block gave the Hawkeyes a set win. Iowa out-blocked the Wildcats, 5-1, and held Northwestern to a .184 hitting percentage.

SET FOUR (IOWA 25-18)
The Hawkeyes opened the fourth set on a 9-0 run off the serve of Worden, leading to a Northwestern timeout. Vanzandt drilled three kills during the sequence. The Hawkeyes controlled the set from start to finish, siding out efficiently and having a terminal offense. Northwestern rallied within six at 23-17 but a service error gave Iowa its first set point. After a service error, Iowa went to the middle with Stojanovic, who sealed the set for the Hawkeyes. Iowa hit a game-high .438 with 17 kills and three errors.

SET FIVE (NORTHWESTERN 15-10)
Northwestern registered the first point of the decisive set before Stojanovic responded to even the set at 1-1. Three straight kills from Northwestern caused an Iowa timeout at 4-1. Vares terminated out of the timeout and Northwestern responded with an instant sideout on the next point. Northwestern took control of the set and led 8-3 at the change of ends. Worden found the floor to cut the deficit in half and an Iowa block pulled the Hawkeyes within three at 8-5. Iowa trailed 11-6 before kills from Worden and Vanzandt helped the Hawkeyes draw closer at 11-8. Northwestern relied on its outsides to close the set and the Hawkeyes were unable to stop the attack.

Up Next: Iowa (12-11, 3-8 B1G) travels to Champaign to take on Illinois on Sunday afternoon. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. inside a sold out Huff Hall. The match will be streamed on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.