Iowa City Today

The University of Iowa women's volleyball team secured a five-set victory over Illinois on Sunday at Huff Hall in Champaign. This marks the Hawkeyes' first win in Champaign since 2005 and their first triumph over the Illini since 2016. With this result, Iowa's record stands at 13-11 overall and 4-8 in Big Ten play.

Iowa won the opening two sets with scores of 25-19 and 25-22. Illinois responded by taking the third and fourth sets, 25-19 and 25-15, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Hawkeyes prevailed in the final frame, winning 15-10.

Head coach Jim Barnes commented on the team's performance: “We knocked out our first goal, which was winning set one. Then, we took down another goal, which was winning set five. I was proud of our team today. We came into a full house and a tough environment and had to earn everything. Heading into the fifth, we had to simplify. It is easy to overthink it in those moments. We showed that we wanted the ball, the serve, the set, the pass. We played the type of volleyball we’re capable of, especially in those first two sets.”

Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden contributed her fourth consecutive double-double with 14 digs and 11 kills while hitting .320. Senior setter Claire Ammeraal narrowly missed a double-double herself with 53 assists and nine digs.

Four Iowa players finished with double-digit kills. Graduate Chard’e Vanzandt led with 19 kills along with seven digs and four blocks. Junior Hannah Whittingstall added 13 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and led defensively with five blocks. Freshman Carmel Vares recorded 11 kills on a .308 clip.

Statistically, Iowa outperformed Illinois in several categories including total kills (63 to 56), hitting percentage (.242 to .196), assists (58 to 50), and blocks (9 to 7). Both teams committed nine service errors; however, Illinois held an advantage in aces by a margin of seven.

Next up for Iowa is an away match against No. 24 Indiana on Friday night at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington.