The University of Iowa Volleyball team began conference play in less than desired fashion this weekend.
In a road trip to start conference play, they were defeated by both Michigan and Michigan State. The Hawkeyes lost 6 out of 7 sets, and although the team got pretty roughed up against Michigan on Friday night, they showed signs of life against the Spartans the next day. It just wasn’t enough, and as Head Coach Sharon Dingman would probably tell you, they couldn’t finish.
Iowa will rebound; I have no doubt, but right now they sit at 5-6 overall, 0-2 in the Big Ten, and have dropped 5 matches in a row, three of which have been sweep.
The team is young, they are learning on the fly, and the Big Ten schedule is a complete gauntlet.
If you need evidence of that, simply look at the first Big Ten match for the Hawkeyes: Michigan is ranked #22 in the country, and after sweeping the Hawks Friday, knocked off #14 Minnesota on Saturday. (I expect both Minnesota and Michigan to be ranked in the top 20 when the new rankings come out.) Things are never easy in the Big Ten Volleyball world.
Iowa put up a fight against MSU, which means something; I’m just not sure what yet.
Rachael Bedell led the team with 13 kills, a decent number for a match that only went four sets. Junior setter Paige Stevens had 22 assists, and is starting to show signs of maturing as the leader of the offense. (For those of you not familiar with the art of volleyball, the setter is sometimes referred to as the volleyball equivalent of a quarterback; although I would say the setter plays a role closer to the point-guard on a basketball team.) The team is still youthful and inexperienced, and played much better against the Spartans that they did against the Wolverines.
However, this team is beyond excuses and well beyond moral victories.
The time to win is now. (It’s not Play Like a Champion Today for no reason.) However, that doesn’t mean this team shouldn’t have patience. The worst thing a young team can do is get frustrated and not play with their heads. I’m sure Dingman has reminded them of this in one way or another.
Sharon Dingman will continue to develop the Iowa volleyball team into a winner, and take the challenges presented by the Big Ten head-on, but for now it is a wait and see process.
They will win eventually; I just hope it’s sooner than later.
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