Hawkeyes Fall in Straight Sets at No. 1 Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. – University of Iowa volleyball fell to top-ranked Nebraska 25-12, 25-15, 25-17 on Saturday evening inside Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Hawkeyes dropped to 13-17 overall and 2-14 in the Big Ten.

Ksenija Tomic and Carmel Vares led the offensive effort with six kills apiece. Liv Mogridge and Rosa Vesty chipped in with three kills each. Jenna Meitzler and Hannah Whittingstall rounded out Iowa’s offensive production, each contributing two kills. Meitzler finished with 17 assists.

Defensively, Greta Schlichter earned the libero jersey and led the team with eight digs. At the net, Meitzler was involved with four blocks. Mogridge and Whittingstall tallied three each.

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (NEBRASKA 25-12)
Nebraska jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before Liv Mogridge put Iowa on the board. Mogridge added another kill to cut the Hawkeye deficit in half at 4-2. Kills from Ksenija Tomic and Carmel Vares kept Iowa within striking distance at 6-4 and 8-5, respectively. Vares recorded a second kill to make the score 12-8, Nebraska. Iowa capitalized on two Husker service errors, but Nebraska pulled away with a 9-2 run to build a 21-10 advantage. The Hawkeyes called their second timeout after falling behind 23-11, and the teams traded service errors before a Husker block sealed the set.

SET TWO (NEBRASKA 25-15)
Mogridge and Rosa Vesty blocked Nebraska’s first attack to open the second set. Vesty later put Iowa ahead 4-3 with a kill. The Huskers answered with a 4-0 run to move in front 8-4 and extended their advantage to 15-7 by the media timeout. Out of the break, Vesty terminated the first point and Mogridge added another kill, but Nebraska maintained control at 19-10 despite another Vesty kill. Tomic recorded a kill to pull the Hawkeyes within 21-14, and a block from Meitzler and Mogridge fought off one set point before an Iowa attack sailed wide to give Nebraska the second set.

SET THREE (NEBRASKA 25-17)
Two Nebraska attacking errors opened the third set, though the Huskers quickly answered with two kills and an ace to move in front. A block from Meitzler and Whittingstall put Iowa back ahead. An ace from Jaimie Marquardt along with back-to-back kills from Tomic and Vares pushed the Hawkeye lead to 7-4. Nebraska responded with a 4-0 run to reclaim an 8-7 edge and forced an Iowa timeout one point later. The Huskers then used a 5-1 surge to take a 15-9 advantage into the media timeout. Out of the break, the Huskers extended the margin to 19-10 to prompt another Iowa timeout. Tomic terminated a kill to halt the run, and four straight kills fueled a 5-0 Iowa burst that trimmed the deficit to 22-17. Nebraska claimed the next two points and clinched the match when a Nebraska challenge confirmed an Iowa attack sailed long.

Up Next: Iowa hosts No. 25 Illinois on Tuesday at 6 p.m. inside Xtream Arena for Senior Night.