Iowa City Today

The University of Iowa women's volleyball team was defeated by Michigan State in a five-set match at the Breslin Center on Friday night. The Hawkeyes' overall record now stands at 10-7, with a 1-4 mark in Big Ten conference play.

Freshman Carmel Vares led Iowa with 13 kills, while graduate student Chard’e Vanzandt contributed 12 kills and three aces. Redshirt freshman Hallie Steponaitis achieved a career-high with 11 kills. Senior setter Claire Ammeraal recorded her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 43 assists and 10 digs, along with eight kills.

Sophomore Aleksandra Stojanovic posted seven kills on 14 attempts for a .429 hitting percentage, the highest on the team for the match, and added six digs. Middle hitter Hannah Whittingstall converted seven of her 18 attacks and led the Hawkeyes defensively with seven blocks. Senior libero Milana Moisio had a team-high 14 digs and contributed four assists.

Michigan State outperformed Iowa in several statistical categories, recording more kills (67 to Iowa's 58) and a higher hitting percentage (.293 compared to .245). The Spartans also excelled from the service line, registering eight aces against five errors, while Iowa finished with three aces and nine errors.

The match summary showed that Michigan State won the first two sets (25-20, 25-15), but Iowa responded by taking the next two sets (25-23, 25-21). In the deciding fifth set, Michigan State established an early lead and secured victory with a final score of 15-7.

Iowa will next face Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Central Time. The game will be available for streaming on B1G+ and broadcast via the Hawkeye Radio Network.