Iowa lost to the Buckeyes, 3-1, on Oct. 2 but has a chance at redemption.
By Kyle Mann
2015 hasn’t gone exactly as the Iowa volleyball team had hoped, but coming down the homestretch of the season, the Hawkeyes have been presented with opportunities to see how they’ve improved in rematches with Big Ten teams.
On a night-to-night basis, head coach Bond Shymansky coaches every match to win. But in a larger sense, Shymansky is amid a larger program rebuilding.
With a team full of young players and transfers, Shymansky always keeps an eye on his team’s progression throughout the season. Lately, he said, he’s interested to see how his team responds in grudge matches with teams that have beaten the Hawks.
The Hawkeyes will host Ohio State in Carver-Hawkeye this evening, a team that defeated them, 3-1, in Columbus on Oct. 2. Ranked No. 13 at the time, the Buckeyes are the highest-ranked team to drop a set to Iowa this year, and the Hawkeyes will try to harness some of what carried them to that lone victory.
“We came out sharp against Ohio State first set and made really good adjustments in the second set and found a way to separate,” Shymansky said. “We got pressed with tempo and short zone serving in the third and fourth set, and they separated from us. That’s a thing we go back, and in terms of strategy points, we just have to do a much better job.”
Even after beginning the match looking smooth. Iowa lost the previous meeting largely because of an all-too-familiar struggle with errors. With the Buckeyes pressing hard in the later sets, the Hawkeyes ended up with 37 errors on the night, just over 9 per set.
Shymansky’s team has been plagued by errors for much of the season, but again, this final homestretch offers an opportunity to show that it has improved.
For what it’s worth, the Hawkeyes have identified errors as a cause for concern in recent weeks, and they are adamant about attempting to address the issue. With only four matches remaining to demonstrate improvement, combined with the recent emphasis on efficiency and precision, Iowa fans can be sure the team will be locked in tonight.
“Our main goal when we play teams again is to fix what killed us and allowed them to beat us the first go-round,” Jess Janota said. “So I think fixing those errors we made the first time and correcting them is our main focus.”
Ohio State enters the match ranked No. 16, but despite a 21-7 record overall, it appears to be a vulnerable opponent.
The Buckeyes sit sixth in the Big Ten with a 10-6 record in conference play and correspondingly, sit in the middle of the pack in every statistical category. Without any one area of particular dominance, Iowa could have an opportunity to settle into its system and dictate the tempo.
On top of that, the Hawkeyes know they can steal sets from the Buckeyes. Suffice to say, in spite of their 2-14 record in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes are confident leading into this match.
“We need to continue to improve on our game before we worry about what’s going on on their side of the court,” Loxley Keala said. “We need to take care of all those things; once we get that under control, and contain them, I think we can get a win out of this one.”
First serve is set for 7 p.m.
Follow @KyleFMann for news, updates, and analysis of Iowa volleyball.
