IOWA CITY — After seven consecutive losses, Iowa volleyball finally broke through against UCLA on Saturday. According to head coach Jim Barnes, one reason for the turnaround was a defensive adjustment that might have gone unnoticed by most observers.
Iowa's Henlee Moszkowicz digs a serve during an NCAA volleyball match against Southern Illinois at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Thursday, Sept. 10.
ETHAN PETRIK, Quad-City Times
“We made adjustments defensively that’s not easy to see just watching it,” Barnes said.
Barnes said the results of the adjustment appeared in a subtle way in the box score.
“You saw Henlee (Moszkowicz’s) digs start going up,” Barnes said. “And you look at our right backs’ digs going up, Jenna (Meitzler) and Alli (Berent).”
First-year libero Henlee Moszkowicz averaged 10.2 digs per match in the six matches prior to last week. Against USC and UCLA, she averaged 15, including an 18-dig match in the win over the Bruins.
Setter Jenna Meitzler averaged 5.8 digs over the same span before recording 11 in both matches last week. Likewise, defensive specialist Allison Berent averaged 5.8 before last week but averaged 9.5 against the Trojans and Bruins.
Barnes said the Hawkeyes changed the way they position themselves when opponents go on offense.
“That’s part of a little bit of an adjustment we’ve done when people set back so their back sets with how we defend them,” Barnes said. “Henlee is up for all the tips, all the things off the block, everything sharp behind it. … We put Jenna and Alli in a position where they’re going to get more balls coming at them from that right side.”
The adjustment appears to be producing the defensive improvement Barnes has sought throughout the season, with Iowa increasing its digs per set last week.
“Those are the things we’re looking for,” Barnes said. “I’ve always said all season, it’s all about can we stop teams and score. … If you split our Big Ten matches in half, the first half we were only about around 10 digs per set. Now, we’re up to 12 or 13. That’s significant, especially over a match.
“… It’s good to see because sometimes you make some adjustments and you don’t see any reward for that. And we are. If we’re digging more, we have more chances to stop teams and score because that’s where we want to be.”
