Hawkeyes Stumble in Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – University of Iowa volleyball dropped its matchup against Michigan in four sets on Friday night inside Crisler Center. Michigan won with final set scores of 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 25-13.

Iowa moved to 12-7 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten.

Ksenija Tomic led the offense for the fourth time this season, picking up 12 kills on 31 swings. Tomic added two aces. Rosa Vesty followed in double digits with 10 kills, while Carmel Vares and Hannah Whittingstall each tallied eight. Iowa finished the match hitting .205.

Jenna Meitzler stuffed the stat sheet with 36 assists and six digs. She also had five kills and a .667 hitting percentage.

Both teams struggled from the service line, with Iowa committing 10 errors to two aces while Michigan had 11 miscues and four aces. 

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (MICHIGAN 25-17)
The Hawkeyes matched Michigan point-for-point early in the frame. Down 5-4, Hannah Whittingstall put one down to cap off a long rally, and Ksenija Tomic kept Iowa within striking distance with back-to-back kills. Carmel Vares then sparked a 3-0 surge with consecutive kills to tie the set at 8-8. After a 10-10 deadlock, Michigan took five of the next seven points, sending Iowa into the media timeout trailing 15-12. Whittingstall cut the deficit to two with a kill down the line at 16-14, however, the Wolverines closed on a 9-3 run to seal the set.

SET TWO (MICHIGAN 25-22)
The Hawkeyes struck first when Mogridge and Vares combined on a block, followed by a kill from Tomic to jump out to a 2-0 lead. After Michigan pushed ahead, Whittingstall and Mogridge delivered timely kills to even the score first at 5-5 and then 8-8. A 3-0 Michigan spurt prompted an Iowa timeout at 11-8, but Mogridge immediately answered out of the break with a kill. Michigan’s run grew to 7-2 and the Wolverines led 15-10 at the technical timeout. Iowa sparked a late comeback with back-to-back blocks—first by Mogridge and Vares, then by Mogridge and Vesty— that capped a 4-1 Hawkeye push to trim the deficit to 18-17. Vesty then knotted the score at 19-19 with a kill, forcing a Wolverine timeout. Michigan regained the lead with a brief run and closed out the set to take a 2-0 match lead. 

SET THREE (IOWA 25-23)
The Hawkeyes claimed the opening point on a Wolverine error following a long rally and jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a Vares kill. The teams traded points through a back-and-forth set featuring 14 ties, with kills from Vesty, Tomic, Whittingstall, and Meitzler keeping Iowa deadlocked with Michigan through 10-10. A Wolverine run out of the media timeout created a 16-11 deficit for Iowa, but Tomic halted the momentum with a kill. Tomic then ignited a 4-0 Hawkeye surge with her first service ace of the night before catching fire at the line, dropping in her second ace to level the set at 17-17 and force a Michigan timeout. Two kills by Vesty and by a Michigan error gave Iowa the lead late at 23-22, and Tomic set up set point with a kill at 24-23. Iowa completed the comeback victory on a final Wolverine error to take the third set 25-23.

SET FOUR (MICHIGAN 25-13)
The Wolverines established control early, using a 6-0 run to build a quick 10-2 cushion and force an Iowa timeout. Whittingstall and Vesty teamed up for a block to halt the spurt, but Michigan responded with another surge to stretch its advantage to 13-3. The Hawkeyes used a tip over on two from Meitzler, a slide kill from Whittingstall and a string of Michigan errors to mount a 5-0 run and pull within 13-8. The Wolverines answered out of the media timeout, reopening a nine-point advantage and closing out the set and match victory.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes head to East Lansing for a match with No. 22 Michigan State at noon on Sunday at the Breslin Center.