RedTails Volleyball battles through challenging weekend slate

The Hawkeye RedTail Volleyball team faced a tough weekend road trip, opening with a sweep of Prairie State before taking on two nationally ranked opponents in Heartland (#3) and Illinois Central (#8).

Against Prairie State, the RedTails dominated behind strong serving and a balanced attack, racking up 16 service aces in the match. Ruby Patterson and Jenna Scharper each tallied efficient kills, while Emersyn Secora led the serving run with six aces. Head coach Chris Mahi credited the aggressive approach from the service line. "We did a great job with our serve and pass game," Mahi said. "We had 16 service aces in the match. I was proud with how aggressive we were behind the service line."

The competition level jumped in the second match against No. 3-ranked Heartland. The Hawks came out swinging and controlled the pace from the start, leaving Hawkeye struggling to find a rhythm. Mahi admitted his team was a bit tentative but saw value in the experience. "Heartland is loaded with talent again this season. They came out really aggressive and set the tone for the match. I think we took away a good understanding of how we need to grow and improve as a team," he said.

In their final matchup, the RedTails battled No. 8 Illinois Central. After dropping the first set, Hawkeye showed resilience with a hard-fought 28–26 victory in the second. They continued to push in the fourth, nearly forcing a decisive fifth, before ultimately falling short. "I was very proud of how we battled and came out with the win in set 2," Mahi said. "We also fought hard in set 4 to try to extend it to a fifth set, but were just not able to finish in that set."

Despite the results, Mahi walked away encouraged by his team's growth. "Overall, I am proud of our group this weekend and how we improved as a team facing two top ten teams in the country. We will work hard in practice this week and look forward to the weekend ahead competing at Iowa Central CC," he added.

The RedTails return to action September 5–6 at the Iowa Central Tournament.