Hawkeyes Toppled by No. 20 Washington

SEATTLE – University of Iowa volleyball won the first set but ultimately lost, 3-1, to No. 20 Washington on Friday night at Alaska Airlines Arena. 

Iowa took the first set 26-24, but could not complete the upset, slipping in the next three 25-23, 27-25, 25-11. 

The Hawkeyes’ loss dropped them to 13-12 overall and 2-9 in the Big Ten.

For the fifth time this season and the second consecutive match, outside hitter Rosa Vesty led the Iowa offense with 15 kills. Hallie Steponaitis and Hannah Whittingstall joined her in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Middle hitter Liv Mogride contributed with a season-high hitting percentage of .667, while errorless with eight kills on 12 swings. 

On her way to a 44-set performance, Jenna Meitzler recorded her 1,000th assist of the season early in the second set. She helped Iowa hit over .300 in sets one and three. Ultimately, Iowa hit .195.

Libero Henlee Moszcowicz held down the back row with 13 digs, while Whittingstall led at the net with three blocks. Iowa finished with more digs than Washington, 40-39.

Iowa finished the match with more kills (53-48), but fewer aces (15-5) and blocks (15-7) than the Huskies.

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 26-24)
Washington grabbed the opening two points, but Iowa responded with back-to-back kills from Rosa Vesty and Hannah Whittingstall to level the score. Back and forth play continued early. A strike from Ksenija Tomic sent Iowa into the media timeout holding a 15-13 lead. Vesty extended the Hawkeye cushion to 20-17 with a cross-court kill, as she took over down the stretch. The New Zealander put Iowa back on top 23-22 to force a Husky stoppage, then delivered another kill to earn Iowa’s first set point at 24-22. Washington rallied to erase the advantage, but Vesty answered once more with a kill to bring up another set point at 25-24. Jenna Meitzler and Whittingstall combined for the set-winning block on the next rally to lock up the set. Iowa hit .316 as a team in the opening set, with Vesty leading with eight kills. The opening stanza featured 11 ties and five lead changes.

SET TWO (WASHINGTON 25-23)
Iowa jumped to a quick 2-0 lead behind early kills from Mogridge and Tomic. Whittingstall added Iowa's first service ace to keep the Hawkeyes ahead 6-4, and Meitzler added a kill to extend the margin to 8-5. The teams traded leads around the media timeout, with Whittingstall combining a kill and an ace to push Iowa ahead, 16-15. Steponaitis used a kill to remain flawless with five kills on five attempts and preserved Iowa’s lead at 17-16. Iowa made a late push, defending three set points with help from a Steponaitis block and a Carmel Vares ace to pull within 24-23, but Washington converted on the final rally to seal the set. Iowa logged three service aces in the set.

SET THREE (WASHINGTON 27-25)
Washington opened the set with five straight points before kills from Steponaitis, Mogridge and Vesty trimmed the deficit. Defensive specialist Allison Berent then scored her first career kill off a dig to tie the set at 10-10. Out of the media break, Vesty sparked a 3-0 run with a cross-court kill to push Iowa ahead 19-17. A Tomic kill later forced a Husky timeout at 21-19. Whittingstall pushed the Hawkeyes ahead at 23-22, helping Iowa to hit above .300 for the second-straight set. Jaimie Marquardt then dropped in a service ace to set up set point at 25-24, but Washington rallied for three straight points out of a timeout to close out the frame.

SET FOUR (WASHINGTON 25-11)
Iowa got off to a fast start as Mogridge and Tomic delivered back-to-back kills for a 2-0 lead. A Meitzler and Whittingstall block helped keep the Hawkeyes ahead 5-3 early. However, Washington took control from there with a 13-2 run into the closing stretch. Meitzler staved off one match point with a kill at 24-11, but Washington converted on the following point to close out the fourth set and secure the match win.

Up Next: Iowa travels to No. 12 Oregon on Sunday. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT). The match will stream on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.