AMES — Iowa Hawkeye volleyball ended more than three decades of frustration in Ames Tuesday night, sweeping rival Iowa State in straight sets for its first victory at Hilton Coliseum since 1994.
The Hawkeyes knocked off the Cyclones 25-20, 25-21 and 25-23 in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown, improving to 4-2 on the season.
The victory was Iowa’s first over Iowa State since 2021 and its first in Ames in 32 years.
Iowa bounced back in a big way after falling to Alabama in four sets last week, using balanced offense and a steadier defensive effort to take down its in-state rival.
Ksenija Tomic led Iowa with 10 kills while hitting .409. Carmel Vares added nine kills on 28 swings, while the Hawkeyes received another strong performance from their middle hitters.
Liv Mogridge finished with seven kills and Hannah Whittingstall added six.
Setter Jenna Meitzler distributed 35 assists and chipped in three kills of her own.
The Iowa defense piled up seven blocks and held Iowa State to a .230 hitting percentage.
First-year libero Henlee Moszkowicz made her first start at the position and tied Marichka Hoshylyk for the team lead with 10 digs.
The Hawkeyes actually finished with fewer kills than Iowa State, 46-41, but Iowa committed only 10 attack errors compared with 18 by the Cyclones.
Iowa hit .287 for the match and also capitalized on Iowa State’s problems from the service line. The Cyclones committed 11 service errors while Iowa had six.
Head coach Jim Barnes said the Hawkeyes showed the kind of togetherness he has been trying to build with a roster featuring several new pieces.
“We’re still learning about one another,” Barnes said. “There are a lot of new pieces. I just asked them tonight to be united.”
Barnes said Iowa maintained that approach even when the Cyclones threatened to seize momentum in front of their home crowd.
“Whenever the pressure came, we were united in a great atmosphere tonight,” he said. “We stuck together. Every point mattered.”
Hawkeyes grab control in opening set
Iowa State jumped ahead 4-2 in the first set, but the Hawkeye block quickly changed the direction of the frame.
Mogridge, Hallie Steponaitis and Tomic combined for a triple block before Tomic tied the set at 6-6.
The teams battled to 9-9 before Mogridge gave Iowa its first lead at 11-10. Whittingstall followed with an ace during an Iowa run that opened a 13-10 advantage.
The Hawkeyes gradually pulled away, with Vares helping extend the lead to 22-18 before Steponaitis finished the set with a kill for a 25-20 victory.
Iowa held the Cyclones to just a .073 hitting percentage in the opening frame.
Iowa takes command in second
The Hawkeyes wasted little time taking control of set two.
Mogridge teamed with Vares for an early block and hammered three quick kills as Iowa raced to a 6-1 advantage.
Whittingstall stretched the lead to 9-3, and another triple block — this time involving Tomic, Meitzler and Whittingstall — made it 10-5.
Iowa State mounted several pushes, including one that cut Iowa’s lead to 19-16, but Tomic answered with a kill to halt the rally.
A Cyclone error closed out the set, 25-21, giving Iowa a commanding 2-0 lead.
Hawkeyes finish off historic sweep
Iowa State made the Hawkeyes earn the final set.
The third frame featured nine ties as the Cyclones tried to extend the rivalry match.
Iowa trailed 9-6 before Mogridge delivered a solo block during a 6-1 Hawkeye surge. Iowa eventually moved ahead 13-11, forcing an Iowa State timeout.
The Cyclones battled back to tie the set at 17-17, but Tomic immediately responded with another kill.
Vares delivered several important kills down the stretch before Whittingstall slammed home the final point for the 25-23 victory and the historic sweep.
The result gave Barnes his first victory over Iowa State in five tries.
The win also adds another significant early-season result for an Iowa squad that opened the season 3-0 and captured the Black Knight Invitational championship. Barnes also earned his 500th career coaching victory during Iowa’s opening weekend.
Iowa now returns home for the Hawkeye Invitational at Xtream Arena.
The Hawkeyes will host Southern Illinois at 6:00 PM Thursday before facing Incarnate Word and Missouri State during the three-day tournament.