Iowa Wesleyan volleyball swept at home

MT. PLEASANT — Two of the three sets played at Ruble Arena on Monday night went right down to the wire, but all three went to the same team.

Iowa Wesleyan’s attempt at its first victory of the season was throttled by the visiting Harris-Stowe State Hornets. Harris Stowe knocked off Iowa Wesleyan 25-22, 25-10, 25-23.

A much smaller Tiger team answered the call for the most part in Set 1 and Set 3, forcing the Hornets to go long in both, but in the end, Harris-Stowe’s athleticism up front did Iowa Wesleyan in.

“Our defense killed it tonight,” said head coach Ashley Baldassarre. “I couldn't have asked for a better serve receive or just defensive team, but we've got to be just as big as them, even if we are a small team.”

The Tigers clawed back from down 24-17 in the first set, winning the next five points to cut the Hornets’ lead to 24-22 when a Harris-Stowe spike sailed over the back line. On the next point, the Tigers scrambled to keep the ball up, but the Hornets scored a winning kill on a ball that landed just inside the line on the right side.

Iowa Wesleyan struggled in the second set. The Tigers went down early and could never solve a powerful group of Harris-Stowe hitters in a 15-point defeat.

In between sets, the Tigers regrouped. Iowa Wesleyan took an early lead in the third period and put together a real run at the Hornets, leading by as much as four points early in the set.

“The biggest thing I say is control what we can, and let them make their own mistakes,” Baldassarre said. “We just need to simplify the game.”

Harris Stowe eventually grabbed the lead back, but a Hornet service error at 24-22 cut the lead to 24-23, giving the Tigers a chance to extend the game. An error on the Iowa Wesleyan side, however, brought an end to the night.

After the match, Baldassarre talked about what her team needs to do to finish the close matches.

“It's just that mental toughness,” Baldassarre said. “Who's going to finish? Who's going to be the big go-to player for us.”

Harris-Stowe out-killed Iowa Wesleyan 33-16 on the night. The Tigers had 31 errors to the Hornets’ 21.

It was a nice night at the net for Bethany Williams, who led the Tigers with seven kills. Emma Lincoln and Malie DeMate each had three, and DeMate dished out a team-high 11 assists.

Alexis Hafenstine led the team again in digs, collecting 22. DeMate finished with six.

The Tigers had four service aces on the night. Kianna Mohlman finished with three on her own, including a couple key serves when the Tigers had the lead in the third set.

Iowa Wesleyan is now 0-10 on the year. The Tigers will play four games in St. Louis, Missouri this weekend at a tournament hosted by the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy.