Iowa City Today

The University of Iowa women's volleyball team secured its seventh sweep of the season by defeating Lindenwood at Xtream Arena in Coralville. With this victory, Iowa improved its record to 9-3, marking the most nonconference wins for the program since 2014.

Graduate student Chard’e Vanzandt led the Hawkeyes' offense with 12 kills and three aces. Freshman Gia McGrew added eight kills on 15 attempts. In total, nine Iowa players recorded kills during the match, and five players achieved a hitting percentage of .400 or higher. Senior Claire Ammeraal contributed 30 assists, seven kills, and five digs.

Defensively, senior libero Milana Moisio had 10 digs and four assists. The Hawkeyes out-blocked Lindenwood 7-4, with freshman Peyton Young and sophomore Aleksandra Stojanovic each recording three blocks.

Iowa maintained control throughout most of the match, which featured only four ties and two lead changes. The team posted a .351 hitting percentage with 44 kills and 11 errors while limiting Lindenwood to a .149 hitting percentage. The second set ended with a score of 25-11, matching Iowa’s largest margin of victory this season.

Head coach Jim Barnes commented on the team's performance: “We came in and took care of business. Our defense and serve receive were much better, which allowed our offense to execute at a high level. We talk about having six arms going, and we can say that because of our setter that can get us kills. We were able to display that in the second set and won it, 25-11. When we can pass well and play good defense, we have a good formula for success.”

In the first set, Iowa took an early lead thanks to Vanzandt's offensive efforts and Ammeraal's aggressive play at the net. McGrew continued to find gaps in Lindenwood’s defense as Iowa built momentum throughout the set.

During the second set, after losing the first two points, Iowa responded with an 8-0 run highlighted by service aces from Vanzandt and effective attacks from multiple players. The team hit .571 in this set while holding Lindenwood to .250.

The third set saw Iowa start strong again before Lindenwood closed the gap late in the game. However, following an Iowa timeout, the Hawkeyes finished with three consecutive points to secure both the set and match win.

Vanzandt was named MVP of the Hawkeye Invitational after recording 22 kills on 38 attempts with a .500 hitting percentage over five sets played during the weekend. She also led her team with three aces across both matches.

All-tournament selections included Ammeraal (63 assists, 13 digs, 12 kills), McGrew (15 kills, seven digs), and Moisio (27 digs, seven assists) for their contributions over back-to-back home victories.

Next up for Iowa is their Big Ten opener against Maryland at Xtream Arena on Thursday at 6:00 p.m., which will be broadcast on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.