IOWA CITY — It was pretty simple. When asked the difference between Saturday’s five-set win over RV UCLA and Thursday’s five-set loss to USC, Iowa volleyball head coach Jim Barnes replied, “The finish.”
The Iowa volleyball team rounded out its 2026 nonconference schedule against Milwaukee at Xtream Arena in Coralville on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The Hawkeyes won 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-17).
“Pain is a good teacher,” Barnes said. “… We were back in that situation and I think the team was just determined not to let this one slip away.”
Last Thursday, the Hawkeyes rallied after dropping the first two sets to the Trojans to force a decisive fifth set. After securing the fourth set 30-28 despite trailing 23-20 late, Iowa got out to a commanding 6-2 lead early in the final frame and led 9-6 before USC scored the final nine points of the set to secure the match 3-2 (25-20, 25-22, 16-25, 28-30, 15-9). It was the Hawkeyes’ seventh straight loss.
Two days later, Iowa snapped its losing skid with a 3-2 (16-25, 26-24, 25-22, 17-25, 15-12) win over the Bruins, who earned the second-most votes for teams not listed in last week’s AVCA Top 25 poll. This time, when the Hawkeyes managed to take a 10-7 lead midway through the set, they did not let up. UCLA never pulled even as Iowa won five of the final eight points to secure the upset.
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Beyond the team's determination to finish, Barnes credited Iowa's defensive adjustments and serving pressure for the win.
“We made a nice game plan, had some nice little adjustments defensively and we served consistently tough,” Barnes said. “That was chipping away at them. If we get back there and really make them struggle and put a lot of energy in serve receive, that’s the way to break their confidence.”
After committing nine service errors in Thursday’s loss, Iowa committed only four against the Bruins and recorded seven service aces.
“That gave us some confidence and took some from them,” Barnes said. “Eventually (we) kind of wore them out with our serving and pressure from the service line.”
The win did not move the Hawkeyes (13-11, 2-8 Big Ten) back into the 15-team Big Ten Tournament field. Iowa remains 16th in the conference standings immediately behind Maryland, USC and Ohio State, all of which hold head-to-head wins over the Hawkeyes.
Barnes said his coaching staff is gaming out all possibilities for how the standings will shake out over the final month of the season.
“We’re looking at every scenario,” Barnes said. “We put together how if we win this many, they win this many, how does it all (shake out)? There’s a real good case of a three-way tie for 15th, and how that plays out.”
Barnes doesn't discuss those broader tournament scenarios with his players, but he said he did tell his team what the win meant for their chances.
“We just talk about our backs are against the wall to make the tournament,” Barnes said. “Every match is critical. … That puts us right back in the conversation. We’re back in the conversation, and now let’s see if we can build on what we just did. I think this team will.”
Ethan Petrik is a University of Iowa beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at ethan.petrik@wcfcourier.com.
