Iowa City Today

University of Iowa volleyball was defeated in four sets by No. 25 USC on Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with an attendance of 2,300. Despite the loss, senior setter Claire Ammeraal reached a career milestone by recording her 3,000th career assist during the fourth set.

The Hawkeyes now hold a record of 10-9 overall and 1-6 in conference play.

Reflecting on her achievement, Ammeraal said, “I am glad I got to hit 3,000 career assists here at Iowa. I really like this team. I love that I am in a position where my main stat is based on how successful my teammates are. It’s fun to be a part of their success and I am excited that I get to celebrate this accomplishment with them.”

Head coach Jim Barnes commented on her contribution: “Claire’s our leader and she does so much for this team. She plays smart and balances her competitive nature with being so cerebral. Claire did an amazing job. She’s a special player.”

Ammeraal ended the match with 41 assists and 15 digs, marking her sixth double-double performance this season. Graduate outside hitter Chard’e Vanzandt recorded her first double-double of the year with a team-high 21 kills and 11 digs. Freshman Carmel Vares contributed 12 kills.

Five Hawkeyes finished with at least ten digs each. Senior libero Milana Moisio led the team with 18 digs and has posted the most digs in all but one match this season. Ammeraal added 15 digs, while redshirt sophomore Allison Berent reached her 100th career dig during the third set and finished with 12 for the night. Sophomore Jaimie Marquardt tallied 11 digs from the back row, and Vanzandt completed her double-double with another 11.

Coach Barnes expressed his thoughts following the match: “I am certainly proud of our fight. We keep improving each week. We give ourselves chances to win sets and win matches. I am proud of that. I wish the end of that fourth set would’ve come out a little differently. The crowd was great. We flipped it at the end of the second, they saw us make those plays and we really felt the crowd behind us. Every set was close.”

The match summary highlighted competitive play throughout all four sets, including several lead changes and tight scores:

In set one, both teams exchanged leads before USC secured a late run to take it 25-20.

Iowa responded by winning set two in extra points (27-25), sparked by strong performances from Vares and key defensive plays.

USC edged out Iowa in set three (25-23) after regaining momentum midway through.

The fourth set was closely contested but ultimately went to USC (29-27), despite Iowa holding multiple set points.

Next up for Iowa is a home match against No. 23 UCLA on Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.