IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa volleyball team won a three-set sweep over Northwestern on Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
FIGHT FOR IOWA
Taylor Louis had a team-high 11 kills, a career-best .625 attack percentage, and four digs. This is Louis’ 18th match with double digits in kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1 (25-23) | The Hawkeyes held a 23-22 lead after a back-and-forth set that featured nine ties and seven lead changes when Louis finished the set with two kills, securing a 1-0 match lead for Iowa. Claire Sheehan led Iowa with five kills, while Louis was a perfect 4-for-4 in kills.
Set 2 (25-21) | The Hawkeyes took an early advantage against the Wildcats in the second set. Northwestern mounted a comeback, eventually knotting the match at 17-17, but a Meghan Buzzerio kill gave Iowa the lead for good. Brie Orr’s block set up match point for the Hawkeyes before an Orr kill gave Iowa a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3 (25-18) | Iowa jumped ahead early and never trailed, leading by as much as 22-12. Northwestern attempted a comeback, but Kelsey O’Neill’s kill clinched the 25-18 set win and the 3-0 match sweep. O’Neill led Iowa with four kills.
HEAR FROM COACH SHYMANSKY
"I thought it was a great performance by our group. They really did a great job and battled on hard. It was a really good bounce-back after last night’s loss to Illinois. Taylor Louis did a great job. I thought she took advantage of the matchup against their setter. 11 kills and .625 hitting efficiency, that's a pretty wicked night. Overall, I thought our whole team did a great job. Annika Olsen was great in the back row, digging up everything on the cross court swing. Good collective performance and focus. It was a great win for us."
NOTABLES
· Annika Olsen recorded 19 digs, marking her 21st match with double digits in digs.
· Orr tied her career high with two solo blocks.
· O'Neill tied a career high with two solo blocks and notched a team-best five total blocks.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes hit the road again, traveling to Michigan on Friday for a 6 p.m. (CT) first serve. Iowa then visits East Lansing, Michigan, to take on No. 10 Michigan State next Saturday at 6 p.m.
RECORDS UPDATE
· Iowa: 15-8, 4-6 B1G
· Northwestern: 12-10, 2-8 B1G
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