If you need something to take your mind off the devastating loss to Northwestern by the Hawkeye football team this weekend, take a peek at The University of Iowa volleyball team, who found a way to pick up a win over #16 Michigan on Saturday night.
This win couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hawkeyes, as they have been reeling in Big Ten play. Before Saturday, Iowa hadn’t won a match in Big Ten play since October 1st. They had lost 12 in a row in the conference, and the young team simply needed a positive.
At the point the Hawkeyes were at, playing well against Michigan would have been enough. Hanging around with Michigan, even taking a set or two would have been satisfying. But the Hawkeyes did me one better: they upset a top 25 team in Big Ten play, and gave the youthful Hawks a sense of pride another reason to keep fighting.
Throughout the month of October I kept saying “just wait, this team will jump up and bite someone.” I was beginning to doubt myself, but the Hawks did finally bite someone.
Team effort was the name of the game for the Hawkeyes, as Becky Walters and Rachel Bedell led the team with 11 kills each.
Also, the Hawkeyes finally won in close sets, which has been a problem all season. The Hawkeyes won one set by three, and two sets by two points. Consistently this season, Iowa has lost close set after close set, making the wins-losses look pretty bad when the competition has actually been closer.
But before I get ahead of myself, it is important to note that this is one win we’re talking about. The Hawkeyes are still 2-14 in the Big Ten, and 7-18 overall.
This has still been a weak season, but at least the Hawks can point to a win late in the season as proof of what they can do when they play team volleyball and keep fighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment