Volleyball Closes Hawkeye Challenge With Win Over Iowa

Aug. 27, 2011

IOWA CITY - The Marquette University women's volleyball team closed out a two-victory Saturday at the Hawkeye Challenge with a 3-1 win over Iowa in the tournament finale, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21. MU also swept Central Michigan earlier in the day.

Senior outside hitter Ciara Jones led the Golden Eagles (2-1) with 19 kills, while junior middle hitter Carol Henney and sophomore right-side hitter Courtney Mrotek notched career highs of seven and nine blocks, respectively. Freshman setter Chelsea Heier also picked up career highs with 48 assists and nine digs and was named to the all-tournament team.

Junior middle hitter Danielle Carlson joined Heier on the all-tournament squad.

The host Hawkeyes (1-2) were led by redshirt senior Megan Eskew's 10 kills, 14 digs and three service aces.

The Golden Eagles built a 17-13 lead midway through the first set on a kill by Jones before Iowa used a 6-0 run to wrest control of the frame. The Hawkeyes kept MU at arms-length from there to hold on for a 25-22 triumph.

Jones led MU with five kills in the opening stanza, while Mrotek continued her solid play on the day with three blocks.

Marquette scored the final seven points of second frame to pull away with a 25-16 win and even the match at the intermission. Mrotek and Carol Henney hooked up for three assisted blocks during that stretch, including the final two points.

Jones hammered home two of her five kills in the second set with Iowa holding a 12-11 advantage as Marquette went ahead for good, 13-12.

After a second set that saw nine ties and eight lead changes, Marquette pulled out to an early 2-0 lead in the third on kills from Jones and Henney and held on for a 25-21 victory.

The Golden Eagles hit .519 as a team in the third set with 16 kills and only two errors coming on 27 total attacks.

Senior outside hitter Ashley Beyer scored the final two points for Marquette to close out the fourth and final set with a 25-21 victory. Beyer notched 10 kills on the evening and nine digs, one of which came on a diving play in front of the Marquette bench. That pass went from Heier to Jones who then sent it down for an emphatic kill to give MU a 19-16 lead.

Marquette head coach Bond Shymansky, a University of Iowa alumnus, notched his first win over the Hawkeyes in two tries, with the previous loss coming on Aug. 29, 2009 in his second game at MU.

Marquette is 6-41 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference and 2-2 against Iowa. The Golden Eagles' previous victory over a Big Ten foe was a 3-1 win over Iowa on Sept. 2, 2005 in the Marquette Challenge.

MU heads to Cedar Falls, Iowa on Monday for a 6 p.m. match with No. 14 Northern Iowa.