SAN JUAN, P.R. – University of Iowa volleyball swept Liberty in Friday’s season opener at Mario Morales Coliseum.
Junior setter Claire Ammeraal notched a double-double, tallying 22 assists and 12 kills. Ammeraal also had three aces. Freshman outside hitter Malu Garcia registered seven kills in the opener. Sophomore middle hitter Hannah Whittingstall starred in her debut for the Hawkeyes, smacking six kills and blocking five attacks.
As a team, Iowa hit at a .327 clip, while holding Liberty to .149. The Hawkeyes held a commanding advantage in blocks, 9.5-6.
MATCH SUMMARY
Set One (IOWA, 25-23)
The Hawkeyes and Flames traded several points in the opening set. Trailing 7-4, Iowa got a kill by freshman Dominique Phills before turning it over to Ammeraal to serve the Hawkeyes to five consecutive points and a 10-7 lead. The set remained tight, with Liberty regaining the lead at 15-14. Tied at 18, the Hawkeyes rattled off five points in a row, riding on Ammeraal’s serve. Kills by Ammeraal and Phills pushed Iowa’s lead to 23-18. A termination by Whittingstall put Iowa on set point at 24-22, before Garcia recorded her first career kill to give the Hawkeyes the opening set. The first frame featured 10 ties and three lead changes. Iowa hit .462 with four aces and six blocks.
Set Two (IOWA, 25-23)
Despite tying nine times in the second set, the Hawkeyes never gave up the lead. Iowa ran out to a 3-1 lead on kills from seniors Anna Davis and Michelle Urquhart and redshirt freshman Alyssa Worden. A back-and-forth set saw each team go on four-point runs through the 17-17 mark. With the set tied at 22, Iowa took an advantage of a Liberty error to get back on serve. Redshirt freshman Olivia Lombardi made her Iowa debut and set Iowa up with set point. After a Flames kill, Garcia ended the second frame as she did in the first, with another kill.
Set Three (IOWA, 25-15)
Unlike the first two sets, Iowa established separation early, sprinting out to a 9-3 lead and forcing a Flames timeout. Several Liberty errors expanded Iowa’s lead to 18-9. The Flames went on a mini-run and pulled within five at 18-13, before back-to-back kills from Phills and a Flames misfire ballooned Iowa’s lead to 21-13. The Hawkeyes earned the sweep with three consecutive kills, two from senior Gracie Gibson and one from Urquhart.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JIM BARNES
“I am happy for the team. They showed a lot of trust during the close times of the match, and that’s what we are looking for. Have we built that trust through our practice? It showed up at the big points of the match and we didn’t give up a set.”
Notables
- Claire Ammeraal recorded a double-double with 22 assists and 12 kills in the season opener.
- Ammeraal is one assist away from 2,000 in her career.
- Libero Joy Galles registered 10 digs in her Iowa debut.
- Three Hawkeyes hit over .400 (Claire Ammeraal, Anna Davis, Dominique Phills)
Up Next: The Hawkeyes return to Mario Morales Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, taking on Providence at 1 p.m. (CT).
