Iowa Falls to Missouri State

CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball dropped the finale of the Hawkeye Invitational on Saturday, losing in four sets to Missouri State (25-22, 25-19, 25-21, 26-24) at Xtream Arena. The loss moved Iowa to 6-3. Iowa placed second at the Hawkeye Invitational. 

Ksenija Tomic led the team with 15 kills on 28 swings for a .464 hitting percentage. Tomic finished with a double-double by adding 10 digs. Liv Mogridge was in double figures with 12 kills. Eight other Hawkeyes got into the scorebook with kills. Jenna Meitzler tallied 42 assists and sprinkled in five kills. 

Defensively, Iowa was led in digs by libero Henlee Moszkowicz, who had 15. The Hawkeyes had eight blocks and were led by Peyton Young’s three.

Iowa hit .253 and had 61 kills and 24 errors while being blocked nine times. The Hawkeyes had more kills and assists (61-56) than the Bears but lost the battle in blocks and digs (53-50).

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 25-22)
The Hawkeyes won the race to 10 and held a three-point lead on swings from Carmel Vares and Hannah Whittingstall. Iowa sprinkled in a block from Hallie Steponaitis and Whittingstall and an ace from Jaimie Marquardt. The Bears answered to bring the set within one at 13-12, but Tomic sparked a 4-0 Iowa run. Whittingstall capitalized out of a Missouri State timeout with consecutive kills and helped build a 16-12 lead. Vares and Tomic continued to trade kills down the stretch to extend the margin to 22-18. The Bears used another 3-0 sequence after a long rally to close the gap to 22-21, prompting an Iowa timeout. The Hawkeyes responded immediately, as Tomic terminated a ball out of the stoppage. A Missouri State error gave Iowa set point. Tomic then put the set away with a final kill to seal the 25-22 win.

SET TWO (MISSOURI STATE 25-19)
Missouri State got on the board first in the second set, but back-to-back kills from Mogridge gave the Hawkeyes a 3-2 lead. The Bears answered with a 4-0 run to take control at 7-4, prompting an Iowa timeout. Tomic halted the run with a block, adding a tip kill and an ace to keep Iowa close at 10-8. The Bears responded with another surge, heading into the timeout ahead 15-10. Missouri State’s lead grew to eight. Steponaitis terminated a ball out of an Iowa timeout to regroup the offense, and Tomic added a sharp kill to make it 21-15. Facing a handful of set points, Iowa made a late push, but the Bears closed out the set on an Iowa attacking error.

SET THREE (MISSOURI STATE 25-21)
Iowa and Missouri State traded points to start the set. Missouri State built a 7-2 lead before kills by Meitzler, Mogridge and Tomic halted the momentum, pulling the Hawkeyes within two at 12-10. The Bears went into the break ahead 15-11, but Mogridge slammed another kill to pull Iowa back within three. The Hawkeyes responded to a surge with a 3-0 push of their own. A Vesty kill cut the deficit to 20-16 and forced a Missouri State timeout. Whittingstall strung together a kill and a service ace to pull Iowa within three at 22-19. The Hawkeyes held off two set points before a service error handed the Bears the lead in the match.

SET FOUR (MISSOURI STATE 26-24)
The Hawkeyes made substitutions in the frame, moving Marquardt to libero and inserting Nikolija Bulatovic and Peyton Young. Iowa jumped out to a 4-0 lead to begin the set. The Hawkeyes expanded the advantage to 7-1 on a Vares right-side kill to force a Missouri State timeout. The Hawkeyes maintained control with kills from Bulatovic and Young, along with a Hoshylyk and Young block to make it 12-6. A 4-0 Bears run cut the lead to 13-10 before consecutive errors sent Iowa into the break ahead 15-10. The Bears then launched a 5-0 run, setting off a tight back-and-forth battle down the stretch. Hoshylyk would put Iowa back in front at 20-19. Vesty staved off match point with a sharp kill to tie it at 24-24. An Iowa error sent the Bears across the finish line.

Up Next: Iowa hosts Drake on Wednesday at 8 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. The match will air live on Big Ten Network and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

HAWKEYE INVITATIONAL RESULTS
September 10 | Day 1
Match 1: Missouri State, 3-1, over Incarnate Word
Match 2: Iowa, 3-1, over Southern Illinois

September 11 | Day 2
Match 3: Incarnate Word, 3-0, over Southern Illinois
Match 4: Missouri State, 3-0, over Southern Illinois
Match 5: Iowa, 3-1, over Incarnate Word

September 12 | Day 3
Match 6: Missouri State, 3-1, over Iowa

Tournament Records:
Missouri State 3-0
Iowa 2-1
Incarnate Word 1-2
Southern Illinois 0-3