October has proven to be a tough month for Iowa Olympic sports. As they hit the season's midpoint, the conference slate has seen the Hawkeyes face a slate of tough matchups against some of the country's best.

Despite the adversity, many of Iowa's teams are still enjoying some of their most successful seasons in recent memory.

Let's take a look.

Iowa soccer (11-1-3, 6-1-1) suffered its first loss of the year last week, falling 2-1 in a heartbreaker to Wisconsin (7-3-4, 3-2-3) before bouncing back to shut out Rutgers (9-2-3, 5-1-2) 2-0 on Sunday afternoon.

Thursday's match against the Badgers was tense throughout. Maggie Johnston gave Iowa an early lead with an 18th-minute penalty kick and the Hawks threatened throughout the first half, racking up five shots and five corner kicks, but couldn't extend the lead.

The script flipped in the second half and it was Wisconsin that controlled the tempo. The Badgers outshot Iowa in the second half, generating seven shots and five corners of their own. In the 73rd minute, Wisconsin tallied an equalizer with a penalty kick of their own and just three minutes later, they took a 2-1 lead. The Hawkeyes threatened late, but couldn't find an equalizer, suffering their first defeat of the year.

The Badgers aren't ranked this season but have long been the cream of the crop in the Big Ten and no doubt had revenge on their minds after the Hawkeyes beat them in the Big Ten Championship last season. Iowa had opportunities, but the execution wasn't there on Thursday. Still, the 13-game undefeated streak to start the year was a school record and all of the Hawks' season goals continue to be well within reach.

The Hawkeyes got the bad taste of Thursday's loss out of their mouth quickly, shutting out Rutgers with a dominating 2-0 win on Sunday afternoon. Iowa earned six corner kicks in the first half, finally converting on the fifth attempt. Sofia Bush put a foot on a loose ball in the box, sending it into the bottom corner to put the Hawkeyes ahead.

The Scarlet Knights had two good chances in the first half, but keeper Macy Enneking continued her strong season, saving both. As the second half started, the Hawkeyes refused to take their foot off the gas pedal. In the 49th minute, Bush played facilitator, setting up Meike Ingles for a long shot that rocketed into the far corner to give Iowa a 2-0 lead.

Enneking saved two more shots in the second half, preserving the eighth shutout of the Hawkeyes' season.

Rutgers was a tough opponent, coming into Sunday's game on a ten-game unbeaten streak of their own, but Iowa looked in control throughout the match. Instead of letting Thursday's loss linger, they flushed it and bounced back to put together one of their best matches of the season. The Thursday loss is no doubt disappointing, but the response was as encouraging as anything we've seen from this group all year.

Iowa dropped slightly in the rankings to #14, but are still well-positioned as they head into the season's home stretch. They'll host Washington (8-4-2, 5-3) in their next match on Thursday (7:30, BTN)

Iowa volleyball (9-9, 3-3) picked up its third conference win last week, sweeping Rutgers (5-12, 0-5) before taking on #10 Purdue (13-4, 4-2). The Hawks fell to Purdue, but took a set off the Boilermakers before falling 3-1.

The first set against the Scarlet Knights was a battle. A 6-0 run from the Hawks powered them to a 16-13 lead and the set stayed close from there. Iowa had the first crack at the set up 24-23, but it took three tries before the Hawks eventually earned the set win at 27-25.

The Hawks found another gear for the final two sets, blowing out Rutgers 25-15 in set two and winning set three comfortably, 25-20.

Michelle Urquhart and Joy Galles were both standouts in the match, with Urquhart tallying 13 kills and Galles picking up a huge 18 digs. The Hawkeyes were tireless on defense, getting hands and swing after swing at the net and going all out to pick up anything that found its way through. Multiple times in the match, the Hawkeyes put together lopsided runs, letting the team play with the freedom and momentum that comes with a lead.

Rutgers is not near the top of the Big Ten, but they do have an all-conference hitter in Alissa Kinkela. Even so, the Hawkeyes looked much the better team in both of their matches this season and the results matched the eye test. It's not a win that will garner national attention, but it's a major step forward for a roster that went winless in conference a year ago.

Saturday's match against Purdue ended in a loss, but the Hawkeyes hung tough against a team that pushed powerhouse Nebraska (16-1, 6-0) to a fifth set earlier in the season. The Hawkeyes dropped set one 25-17 and it looked as though Iowa may be overmatched. Instead, the Hawks responded, going on a 9-1 run in the middle of set two to take a commanding 20-11 lead, that they rode to a 25-19 set win.

The Boilermakers bounced back with a convincing set three win of their own, and while Iowa kept the last set close, they ultimately fell 25-21. Malu Garcia was electric in the match, setting a career-high with 20 kills and the Hawkeyes again came up big at the net, outblocking Purdue 13-8.

The Hawkeyes gave up a few of the big runs that plagued them last year against the Boilermakers, but each time they did, they showed a resilience that was absent in the past. Finding a way to side out sooner and avoid the large deficits is a clear next step for this program, but they were able to respond and put together big runs of their own against a top-10 team. Considering the Hawkeyes are still missing their "quarterback" in setter Claire Ammeraal (Jenna Meitzler has done spectacular stepping into the role as a freshman), head coach Jim Barnes has to be ecstatic with the results the team is seeing.

It felt like an important year for Barnes, now in his third season, with a new AD coming to the university and a roster that was lacking some stability, but he has stayed the course and the foundation he's worked to build now seems to be taking hold. Iowa is active at the net and scrappy behind it.

If they can continue to find and develop hitters like Garcia, the opportunity to level up this program and its expectations feels well within reach. Competing at the top of a conference as talented as the Big Ten may still be a ways away, but fighting into the middle of the pack and being part of NCAA tournament conversations feel like reasonable goals as the program continues to grow.

Iowa will take on Northwestern (3-11, 1-5) on Wednesday (8:00, BTN) before hosting Oregon (13-2, 5-1) on Sunday (12:00, BTN+).

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Iowa field hockey (6-6) dropped a pair of matches last week, falling 2-1 to Indiana (6-6) in double overtime and 2-1 in a shootout to Monmouth (8-5).

Friday's match against the Hoosiers was a familiar defensive slugfest throughout the first half. Indiana struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, but the Hawkeyes answered back fifteen minutes later with an equalizer from Annika Herbine.

Herbine's deflection proved to be the last goal in regulation and a period of overtime did nothing to separate the two teams. Unfortunately, midway through the second OT, Indiana earned a controversial penalty corner and converted to win the match. On replay, it wasn't immediately apparent what drew the penalty corner, but the call wasn't reviewed and the corner was promptly converted.

Looking for a rebound on Sunday against Monmouth, the Hawks ran into familiar problems. The Hawkeyes fell behind late in the first period and again answered back in short order. This time it was Dionne van Aalsum who found the equalizer, converting a penalty corner early in the second quarter.

Iowa couldn't find another goal in the second half or either overtime, pushing the game to a shootout. The Hawks took an early lead in the shootout but weren't able to put the game away, ultimately falling 4-3 to lose the match 2-1.

The Hawkeyes were outshot in both of their games this weekend against teams that normally wouldn't pose much of a threat to a team of this caliber. However, the aggressive press employed by the likes of Northwestern and Maryland has become a kryptonite for Iowa. Opposing teams are willing to commit so many players forward to regain possession and tilt the field and, at least for the last two weeks, the Hawkeyes haven't been able to make them pay.

There's still a ton of talent on this roster, but the combination of youth and injuries has left the team a bit shorthanded. There's still plenty to gain, especially for the underclassmen, in these final weeks of the season, but it looks like Iowa's return to making noise on the national stage will have to wait until next season. The Hawkeyes will face UC Davis (2-8) this coming Friday (3:00, BTN+).