RedTails Volleyball battles ranked opponents, earns five-set win

The Hawkeye RedTail Volleyball team faced a tough slate at the Iowa Central Tournament, going 1–3 across four matches against strong regional competition.

Hawkeye opened play on Friday, September 5, with back-to-back losses against ranked opponents. The RedTails fell in three sets to #17 Neosho County before dropping another match to #12 Mesa. Despite the setbacks, Hawkeye showed signs of improvement as the day progressed.

The RedTails bounced back on Saturday, September 6, earning their first five-set win of the season against Seminole State (20–25, 23–25, 25–17, 25–15, 17–15). Behind double-digit kill efforts from Jenna Scharper and Shannon Moorman, Hawkeye rallied from two sets down to complete the comeback.

"We had our first five-set match of the season and battled to come away with the win," said head coach Chris Mahi. "I was very proud of our team and how we handled such a tight match."

In their final contest of the weekend, Hawkeye fought hard but came up short against Highland (Kan.), falling in four sets. 

Reflecting on the weekend, Mahi noted both progress and room for growth.

"It was another good weekend loaded with tough opponents," he said. "We are still looking for a level of consistency against nationally-ranked opponents. I felt we improved throughout the weekend and will continue to grow and get better."

The RedTails (now 6-6 overall) return to action this week with two more nationally ranked matchups, hosting #3 Kirkwood on Tuesday, September 9, before traveling to face #10 Iowa Central on Thursday, September 11.