Rutgers Falls in Three at Iowa, Still Searching for First Big Ten Set
The short version
- Rutgers lost 16-25, 23-25, 21-25 at Iowa and remains without a Big Ten set won this season.
- Rutgers out-blocked Iowa 9-4 and out-aced the Hawkeyes 7-6 but hit .145 to Iowa's .271.
- Rutgers tied the second set at 23 after trailing 18-23 and led the third 20-19 before Iowa closed both out.
- Imani Howell led Rutgers with nine kills at .316; Natalie Robinson had a match-high six blocks.
- The match at Xtream Arena drew 1,070 and lasted 97 minutes.
The Scarlet Knights rallied late in sets two and three but hit .145 and dropped a 16-25, 23-25, 21-25 decision to the Hawkeyes at Xtream Arena.
Rutgers dropped a three-set decision to Iowa on Saturday night at Xtream Arena, falling 16-25, 23-25, 21-25 in a match that lasted 97 minutes before a crowd of 1,070. The loss leaves the Scarlet Knights six sets into Big Ten play without having won one.
The statistical story was one of efficiency. Iowa hit .271 with 44 kills and 15 attack errors on 107 swings, while Rutgers managed a .145 clip on 34 kills and 18 errors on 110 attempts. The Hawkeyes also sided out at 64.5 percent compared with Rutgers' 52.1 percent, a gap that outweighed Rutgers' edges at the net and the service line.
Rutgers out-blocked Iowa 9-4 and out-aced the Hawkeyes 7-6, but those advantages did not translate into sets. The Scarlet Knights committed 25 combined attack and service errors to Iowa's 18.
The opening set was never competitive for long. Rutgers led early at 2-0 and 4-2 on kills from Imani Howell and Aspen Maxwell, but Iowa pulled away with a 12-3 closing run that included four straight Rutgers attack errors. The Scarlet Knights hit just .048 in the set while Iowa hit .294.
The second set was the closest of the night. Trailing 18-23, Rutgers ran off five straight points behind the serve of Lily Bolen, including two stuff blocks of Rosa Vesty by Skylar George and Natalie Robinson, to tie it at 23. Iowa called both of its timeouts in that stretch, then took set point on a Vesty kill before Whittingstall closed it out. Rutgers outhit Iowa .303 to .278 in a frame it lost, hurt by four Iowa aces.
The third set followed a similar script. Rutgers led 20-19 on a Maxwell kill, but Iowa's Marichka Hoshylyk delivered all four of her kills in that set, two of them after the 20-19 point, sparking a run that carried the Hawkeyes to match point at 20-24 before Vesty finished it. Across the remainder of sets two and three, after tying at 23 and leading 20-19, Rutgers scored just one point, on an Iowa service error.
Individually, Howell led Rutgers with nine kills on 19 swings at .316, adding three blocks and an ace. Malia Romes came off the bench for eight kills but hit .125, Maxwell had seven kills, and Natalie Robinson led all players with six total blocks without an attack error. Iowa's Hannah Whittingstall was the standout of the match, finishing second in points only behind Howell's 12-point total and delivering key aces and kills throughout.
The result closes a winless opening weekend of conference play that began Friday against the nation's top-ranked team. Through two Big Ten matches, Rutgers has recorded 11 aces against 11 service errors.
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