RedTails battle No. 3 Kirkwood at home

The Hawkeye RedTail Volleyball team went point-for-point with No. 3 Kirkwood on Tuesday, September 9, before falling in straight sets at the HESC in Waterloo. The Eagles claimed the match by scores of 25-18, 25-18, and 25-20.

In the opening set, Kirkwood jumped out to an early 10-5 lead. The RedTails continued to battle, with Alexie Hogan turning in several impressive digs, but Kirkwood's attack proved too much down the stretch.

Set two saw Hawkeye battle once again, the frame stayed tight going back and forth before the Eagles pulled away late.

In the third set, Alexis Even recorded a key kill to spark momentum, and the RedTails pushed Kirkwood to the wire, but the nationally-ranked Eagles held on to close out the match.

Head coach Chris Mahi said he was encouraged by how his team competed against one of the nation's top programs. "I thought we were in every set tonight against #3 Kirkwood," Mahi said. "They are a hyper-aggressive attacking team, which at times had us on our heels."

Despite the result, Mahi emphasized positives in Hawkeye's performance.
"Overall, I was very pleased with our serve and pass game," he added. "We just needed a little more production from our offense, and that will come as we continue to fine-tune with this talented group."

The RedTails (6-7 overall) return to action on Thursday, September 11, when they travel to face #10 Iowa Central.