Iowa Tests No. 22 Michigan State, Falls in 4

EAST LANSING, Mich. – University of Iowa volleyball tested 22nd-ranked Michigan State, but fell in four sets on Sunday afternoon inside the Breslin Center. Iowa dropped to 12-8 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten.

Iowa took the first set, 27-25, before dropping the next three 25-22, 25-22, 25-23.

Carmel Vares was the lone Hawkeye in double figures, leading the way with 11 kills on 22 swings. She led the team in kills for the first time since Sept. 11. Middle hitters Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall both recorded eight kills, while Rosa Vesty picked up seven. Setter Jenna Meitzler tallied five kills of her own and hit at a .400 clip. She had 37 assists, five digs and two blocks. A total of eight Hawkeyes picked up a kill and the team finished hitting at a .211 percentage. 

Iowa had more digs than Michigan State, 36-27. The Hawkeyes were led by Henlee Moszkowicz’s nine digs. Allison Berent and Jaimie Marquardt each collected five.

From the service line, Marquardt tied her career high with four service aces. Moszkowicz also served two. Iowa finished with seven aces and three errors. Michigan State was very aggressive with 11 aces, but 13 errors. 

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 27-25)
The Hawkeyes opened the match on strong footing as Rosa Vesty notched a kill to spark Iowa's initial scoring. Jaimie Marquardt followed with an ace before back-to-back Spartan errors and a kill from Ksenija Tomic pushed Iowa ahead 6-2. Michigan State eventually mounted a charge with a 3-0 run to take its first lead at 12-10 and forced an Iowa timeout. The Hawkeyes answered, getting offense from the pins through Carmel Vares and Tomic, as well as a block and dump kill from Jenna Meitzler. The Spartans built momentum late, pulling ahead 22-18 and forcing Iowa into another timeout. From there, Liv Mogridge sparked a set-defining 6-0 run for Iowa, putting down three kills and combining with Vesty for a block. Michigan State committed its fifth service error of the set, setting up Whittingstall to deliver the set-ending kill at 27-25. Iowa’s attack efficiency was stellar, hitting at a match-high .524 clip with 14 kills and just three total errors, while making the most of Michigan State’s five service errors to cap off the comeback.

SET TWO (MICHIGAN STATE 25-22)
After Iowa took the opening point on a Spartan error, Michigan State quickly gained control, jumping out to a 14-7 lead. The Hawkeyes used a spark off the bench from Marichka Hoshylyk and strong net play from Whittingstall to start chipping away at the deficit. Behind a 5-0 run that was fueled by three Spartan errors, a Marquardt ace, and a Hoshylyk kill, Iowa pulled back within two at 14-12. The Hawkeyes mounted a late rally after Michigan State pushed the score to 21-18. Capitalizing on two Spartan errors and Marquardt’s third ace of the match, Iowa scored four straight points to reclaim a 22-21 lead and force a Spartan timeout. Michigan State scored four consecutive points out of the break to take the set.

SET THREE (MICHIGAN STATE 25-22)
After the Spartans took the opening point, Iowa answered with a 3-0 run highlighted by kills from Meitzler and Vares. The Hawkeyes used a kill from Hallie Steponaitis off of the bench, but Michigan State countered to build an 11-7 cushion. Whittingstall delivered back-to-back kills to keep the Hawkeyes within reach before the media timeout at 15-11. Mogridge teamed up with Vares for a block and followed with a kill to trim the deficit to 15-13 out of the break. Meitzler continued to disrupt the Spartans' defense, recording two kills to keep Iowa within striking distance at 20-17. Iowa capitalized on a Spartan service error followed by consecutive kills by Vares to spark a 3-0 surge and make it 22-20. Michigan State ultimately held on, sealing the set with its fifth ace of the stanza.

SET FOUR (MICHIGAN STATE 25-23)
After the Spartans answered an early 5-3 Iowa lead with a 5-0 run, Vesty and Whittingstall powered the Hawkeyes back in front. Vesty sparked a 5-0 Iowa surge alongside a Henlee Moszkowicz ace and a Whittingstall block to give Iowa a 12-10 advantage. Michigan State pulled ahead 18-15, but Iowa pushed back as Mogridge and Vesty teamed up on a block and Moszkowicz's second ace tied the set at 20-20. Iowa held off two match points before Michigan State answered with a final kill to secure the match.

NOTABLES

• Carmel Vares had double-digit kills for the first time since Sept. 11.
• Jaimie Marquardt matched her career high with four aces.
• Iowa is 0-2 in Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge matches this season.

Up Next: Iowa (12-8, 1-5 B1G) returns home to host nationally-ranked Purdue on Thursday at 8 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. The match will be televised on the Big Ten Network.