Hawkeyes Struggle in B1G/SEC Challenge

The Iowa Hawkeyes had a rough couple of days in Starkville, Mississippi as they dropped matches to Mississippi State and Alabama as part of the Allstate B1G/SEC Challenge.

On Sept. 3, Mississippi State defeated Iowa 27-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20.

Iowa led 15-9 in the first set when four Hawkeye attack errors, five Bulldogs kills and an ace gave Mississippi State a 19-15 advantage. Four Hallie Steponaitis kills and an attack error gave Iowa back the lead at 20-19. Another error gave the Hawkeyes set point at 24-23, but two Lindsey Mangelson kills gave the Bulldogs set point. Ksenija Tomic then tied the score at 25, but a Bernardita Aguilar kill and Hawkeye error gave Mississippi State the set.

The second set was another back and forth competition. Iowa had a 22-21 lead, but two errors and a Mangelson kill gave the Bulldogs match point. Hannah Whittingstall kept the set going with a kill, but a Mangelson kill gave MSU a 2-0 advantage.

The Hawkeyes were down 24-20 in the third set when a Carmel Vares kill, an MSU error, a Liv Mogridge kill, an Allison Berent ace, another Mogridge kill and another Vares kill gave Iowa a 26-24 victory.

The fourth set was at 14-14 when two Mogridge kills and an error gave the Hawkeyes a 17-14 lead. But the Bulldogs then rolled off five points and controlled the rest of the set.

Statistical leaders for Iowa were: kills – Tomic 16, Whittingstall and Mogridge 14, Vares 11, Steponaitis 10 and Rosa Vesta and Jenna Meitzler one; assists – Meitzler 57 and Jaime Marquardt five; aces – Marichka Hoshylyk and Tomic two and Marquardt and Berent one; digs – Hoshylyk 34, Marquardt 30, Henlee Moszkowicz 14 and Tomic six; blocks – Whittingstall and Mogridge two and Vares, Hoshylyk and Vesta one.

Alabama defeated Iowa 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 18-25 on Sept. 4.

The teams exchanged the first 10 points of the first set before the Crimson Tide scored the next four points and kept the momentum.

Iowa trailed 13-10 in the second set when two Vares kills, one Mogridge kill, an attack error and two Mogridge/Steponaitis blocks gave the Hawkeyes at 16-13 advantage. Alabama tied things at 19 with a Kaleigh Palmer kill. Iowa led 22-21 when kills from Whittingstall and Mogridge gave the set to the Hawkeyes.

Iowa scored the first two points of the third set, but the Tide took control and didn’t trail after knotting the score at 4-4.A Whittingstall kill brought the Hawkeyes to 22-19, but Alabama held on. Iowa led 3-1 in the fourth set, but the Tide turned that into a 7-4 advantage and controlled from there.

Iowa is now 3-2 on the season.

Statistical leaders for Iowa were: kills – Mogridge 15, Whittingstall 13, Vares 11, Steponaitis 10, Hoshylyk and Meitzler three and Marquardt one; assists – Meitzler 42; aces – Marquardt two; digs – Marquardt 33, Tomic 24 and Moszkowicz 12; blocks - Mogridge three, Steponaitis two and Whittingstall one.