A Lot More Than a W on the Line Against Huskies

Close.

Well not really.

The University of Iowa volleyball team got worked out of the gym Friday night against the well-oiled-machine that was the Iowa State Cyclones. (Yes, Iowa won the football game, but I doubt that means a whole lot to Sharon Dingman) But the Hawkeyes had little time to lick their wounds. (Can a Hawk lick its wounds?) They quickly turned around to find another athletic and talented team standing in their way: the Drake Bulldogs.

Iowa dropped the match against Drake, but unlike being swept by ISU, the Drake match was interesting. Dare I say exciting? Although the Hawkeyes won the first set against Drake, they were unable to hang on, eventually falling in 5 sets. It was interesting, but when the air was cleared it was still a mark in the L column.
So now the Hawkeyes have dropped two in a row for the first time all season. Okay. They still sit at 5-3, and still have a lot of potential this season.

Iowa has one match at Northern Illinois on September 19th before entering a gauntlet that is the Big Ten volleyball schedule. Right out of the gate, the Hawks hit the highway for Big Ten play: #22 Michigan and 7-3 Michigan State.

Although the value of a season largely is defined by the conference schedule, this NIU match will be very tellingfor this squad. How they perform against the Huskies could set the table for the rest of the season. Do they bounce back strong after losing two in a row to interstate rivals? Do they lose confidence and tailspin into the dirt?

They are talented. They are young. The need something positive before the Big Ten schedule. Before the Wolverines.

They need to at least beat the Huskies, preferably sweep the Huskies. If not, this could be a long fall for the 2010 Hawkeye volleyball team.

It seems to me that a lot more than a W is on the line when the Hawkeyes visit the Huskies.