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97 W hile last Saturday's match against No. 9 Minnesota will go down as a 3-0 loss, the University of Iowa volleyball team's third set rally may be the spark the Hawkeyes need to get back in the win column. Down two games to none at the break, UI head coach Bond Shymansky challenged his team to remember the fight they had earlier in the season during wins over Iowa State and No. 25 Texas A&M. "We went into the break looking flat," said Shymansky. "I told them to remember how to fight, win, and do it the Hawkeye way." His team responded. Aer Minnesota got out to a 14-7 lead, the Iowa offense started to roll. e Hawkeyes used a 6-2 run to tie the set, 21-21. Senior Mikaela Gunderson had the hot hand, contributing four kills to the rally, while junior Ashley Mariani added two. e Hawkeyes and Golden Gophers traded points from there until Minnesota registered back-to-back kills to seal the 27-25 set victory. While the set didn't end with the outcome Iowa wanted, the team's ability to play with a top 10 opponent sparked confidence. "Aer the match I told them, 'that's my team,'" Shymansky said. "at's who we really are. We can fight with that kind of effort. I loved our grittiness and our attacking mentality. Players were scrapping to beat each other for the ball, and that's the mentality you need to have. "We have tons of volleyball in front of us this season. You can feel the intensity and momentum building in our group. We keep saying there is something bubbling underneath, and it bubbled to the surface at Carver." Junior setter Loxley Keala agreed. "It felt like we were the team that got those big wins in nonconference play," said Keala. "We needed that set. It was huge for us. Everyone should get ready, because the Hawkeyes are back." e Hawkeyes will take that confidence into this weekend when they welcome Maryland and Rutgers to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. For the first time since Sept. 19, Iowa will host teams that are not ranked or receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll. While getting its first Big Ten win of the season won't be easy, Shymansky is confident his team can win with the help of a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I know Hawkeye nation is psyched about what football is doing right now and so are we," said Shymansky. "We are a part of that. You can just feel the pride that comes with being a Hawkeye fan right now. We are going to need the crowd next weekend to come up with some Big Ten wins." Iowa hosts Maryland (11-13 overall, 1-9 Big Ten) on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. (CT), before taking on Rutgers (4-18, 1-9) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Saturday's match is free for all fans. NOVEMBER SCHEDULE: Nov. 4 at Indiana Nov. 7 at Purdue Nov. 11 Penn State Nov. 14 at Wisconsin Nov. 18 Ohio State Nov. 21 Northwestern Nov. 25 at Maryland Nov. 28 at Michigan State