Volleyball falls to No. 8 ranked Illinois
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On a night when alumni filled the stands, the Iowa women’s volleyball team readied itself on Oct. 24 for a tough match against eighth-ranked Illinois.
Looked upon as possibly the best blocking team in the nation, the Fighting Illini came into Iowa City fully equipped with a fan section that threatened to drown out both the fans and former Hawkeyes in attendance for alumni weekend.
Illinois controlled the match throughout, handing Iowa its seventh Big Ten loss of the season in straight sets (25-23, 25-15, 25-22). The Fighting Illini also amassed 16 blocks, which doubled the Hawkeyes’ total and stood as the most blocks against Iowa this season.
Junior Laura DeBruler piloted the Illinois attack with 17 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Michelle Bartsch complemented her teammate with nine kills and eight digs.
“They’re probably the best blocking team that I’ve seen in a while,” Iowa head coach Sharon Dingman said. “What they do, they do well.”
Pink dotted the cavernous Carver-Hawkeye arena. Everything from jersey numbers to seat cushions made distinguishing fan allegiance difficult.
The influx of pink was to commemorate Iowa’s “Pink Weekend,” also celebrated by the Hawkeye field-hockey and soccer teams, to raise breast cancer awareness. And every Hawkeye point reminded the crowd of the message as the pink “POINT IOWA” gleamed above the court on the arena Jumbotron.
Only down a point, 23-22, in the first set, Iowa eventually was overcome, 25-23.
The Hawkeyes thrived off the serves from junior Becky Walters in that first set, giving Iowa a 15-10 lead early. Walters led Iowa in kills with seven while tallying three spikes and two digs.
Illinois eventually overpowered Iowa, though, tying the score at 17-17.
The second set was a different story. The Illini looked calm and relaxed halfway through the second set, pummeling Iowa en route to an early 13-6 lead that they never relinquished. Illinois eventually took the set, 25-15.
Trying to stave off a loss in straight sets, the Hawkeyes came out aggressive in the third. Senior Megan Schipper paced Iowa with four of her five total kills coming in the final set, and junior Mara Hilgenberg posted 11 assists in the set and 25 total in the match.
The rush was short-lived, though, as the Fighting Illini’s play at the net became the deciding factor. Illinois ended the match with a 25-22 win.
Coming into the game, nerves were an assumed part of the match. But even with Illinois’ fan support, the crowd’s choreographed cheers careening off the Carver-Hawkeye rafters, the Iowa players said they didn’t feel the heat.
“We’ve been through it before,” said junior Mallory Husz, who recorded six kills and two digs, and led Iowa with nine points. “We played [No. 1] Penn State already, so we were ready. We just need to work on the little things.”
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