EUGENE, Ore. — Iowa volleyball threatened No. 12 Oregon in the opening two sets Sunday, November 1, but could not turn those opportunities into a breakthrough, falling 25-23, 25-22, 25-15 at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Hawkeyes dropped to 13-13 overall and 2-10 in the Big Ten. The defeat followed Iowa’s four-set loss at No. 20 Washington, completing a difficult road swing against two ranked conference opponents.
Hannah Whittingstall led Iowa with eight kills. Liv Mogridge and Ksenija Tomic added six apiece, while Jenna Meitzler and Rosa Vesty each finished with four.
Hawkeyes nearly erase four set points in opener
Iowa repeatedly worked its way back into the first set after Oregon established an early lead.
The Hawkeyes used a 4-0 run featuring contributions from Hallie Steponaitis, Meitzler and Mogridge to stay within reach. Later, consecutive Tomic kills and a block by Mogridge and Meitzler helped Iowa pull within 21-20.
Oregon answered and eventually built a 24-20 advantage, but Iowa fought off three consecutive set points. Mogridge delivered a solo block, Meitzler served an ace and Steponaitis put down a kill to cut the deficit to one.
A Hawkeye service error ended the comeback attempt and gave Oregon the opener, 25-23.
Iowa hit .320 in the set and served four aces. Whittingstall contributed four kills and two aces, while Oregon finished the frame hitting .353.
Second-set lead slips away
The Hawkeyes opened the second set with a 5-1 lead before Oregon rallied. A six-point Duck run eventually left Iowa trailing 13-8, but the Hawkeyes responded and moved back ahead 15-14 at the media break.
Another four-point Iowa burst produced a 20-18 lead and forced an Oregon timeout.
The Ducks regrouped to tie the set at 20. Vesty later brought Iowa level again at 21-21, but Oregon finished stronger to take the set 25-22 and establish a 2-0 match lead.
The second frame featured nine ties and five lead changes.
Oregon created more separation in the third set, building leads of 11-6 and 15-8. Vesty supplied two kills during Iowa’s attempt to rally, but the Hawkeyes could not sustain the comeback, and the Ducks closed out the sweep.
Berent posts season high, Mogridge leads at the net
Defensive specialist Allison Berent recorded a season-high 12 digs to lead Iowa’s back-row defense. Libero Henlee Moszkowicz added 11.
The teams finished even with nine blocks apiece. Mogridge accounted for seven total blocks, including two solo stops.
Meitzler directed the offense with 25 assists and added two aces, four kills and a dig.
Iowa visits ranked Indiana on Friday
The Hawkeyes will continue their road schedule Friday, November 6, against nationally ranked Indiana.
First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central at Wilkinson Hall. Iowa will enter the matchup looking to improve on its 2-10 conference record after falling short against Washington and Oregon.