Oct. 22, 2007
IOWA CITY – This Week ? The University of Iowa volleyball team returns home to face Ohio State and No. 2 Penn State this weekend. The Hawkeyes will face the Buckeyes Friday and the Nittany Lions Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
Hawkeyes on the Web ? Fans who can’t make it to North Carver this weekend can follow the action on hawkeyesports.com, where a live video broadcast along with Gametracker will be available.
Live video complete with play-by-play from the voice of Iowa volleyball, Brian Wilson, can be found on the volleyball schedule page of hawkeyesports.com. Gametracker can also be found on the schedule page of hawkeyesports.com.
Live audio will be available for all 31 matches this fall while live video will be available for all of Iowa’s home matches. All Big Ten matches require fans to pay a $9.95 per month subscription fee.
This Weekend’s Promotions ? Friday night is “You Never Know Night” at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Prizes will be given to the loudest fans at random points in the match.
Saturday’s match against No. 2 Penn State is “Junior Hawk Night.” Members of the Junior Hawk Club are encouraged to attend and take part in Halloween activities. The first 500 kids in costume will receive special Iowa volleyball trick-or-treat bags for candy located around the concourse. Members are also reminded to bring the coloring page included in the fall newsletter for a free popcorn.
Scouting Ohio State ? The Ohio State Buckeyes are 9-10 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten play.
Danielle Meyer leads the Buckeyes and ranks eighth in the conference with 4.21 kills per game (282 total). Meyer also has a team-high 98 blocks and her 1.46 blocks per game is fifth in the Big Ten. Betsy Hone is 10th in the Big Ten with 9.1 assists per game (382 total).
The Buckeyes are coached by Jim Stone. Iowa trails in the all-time series, 45-8.
Last Meeting ? Ohio State defeated Iowa, 3-1 (22-30, 21-30, 30-25, 25-30) October 6, in Columbus, OH.
Junior Catherine Smale led the Hawkeyes with 17 kills along with a .385 hitting percentage. Sophomore Megan Schipper added 13 kills along with six block assists while senior Stacy Vitali also had six block assists. Junior Laura Kremer tallied 11 kills with a .385 hitting percentage.
Scouting No. 2 Penn State ? The second-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are 18-2 and lead the Big Ten with a perfect 10-0 record. Penn State has won its last 10 matches and 16 of its last 17 contests.
Christa Harmotto leads the Big Ten with a .479 attack percentage and is also third with 1.59 blocks per game (110 total). Arielle Wilson’s 1.89 blocks per game ranks first in the Big Ten and her .410 hitting percentage is second-best in the conference behind teammate Harmotto. Nicole Fawcett has 310 kills and her 4.56 kills per game ranks third in the Big Ten, followed by Megan Hodge’s 4.49 kills per game (314 total).
Penn State is coached by Russ Rose. Iowa has never beat the Nittany Lions in 34 tries.
Last Meeting ? Penn State swept Iowa (23-30, 15-30, 24-30) October 5, in State College, PA.
The Hawkeyes were led by junior Laura Kremer and sophomore Megan Schipper, who each had eight kills. Kremer added six block assists while junior Kiley Fister recorded four block assists.
Twin Killing at MSU ? Junior Laura Kremer and sophomore Megan Schipper each finished with 10 kills along with impressive hitting percentages against Michigan State last Friday night.
Kremer led the Hawkeyes with a .368 hitting percentage while Schipper added a .310 percentage against the Spartans.
Attacking Story ? The Hawkeyes are 4-0 this season when they record more kills than their opponent. In contrast, Iowa is 0-11 when their opponents tally a higher hitting percentage and 5-12 if the opposition has more kills.
Iron Women ? Juniors Laura Kremer and Emily Hiza have each started and played in all 21 matches and 78 games this season.
Freshman Aimee Huffman has started all 21 matches while playing in 76 of the 78 games. Freshman Megan Eskew has also played in all 21 matches and 77 of the 78 games this season. Junior Kiley Fister and sophomore Christina Meister have also played in all 21 matches.
Hawkeyes on the Block ? Iowa has out-blocked 14 of its 21 opponents this season, including the last five of the last seven teams. Five of the 14 opponents were also ranked (BYU, LSU, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin).
Junior Laura Kremer leads the blocking attack with 108 total blocks (20 solo, 88 assists, 1.38 blocks per game). Freshman Aimee Huffman has 71 total blocks while sophomore Megan Schipper has 48.
Hawkeyes In Big Ten Stats ? Juniors Laura Kremer, Emily Hiza and Kiley Fister each rank in the top 10 of different Big Ten statistical categories.
Kremer is averaging 1.38 blocks per game (108 total), which is sixth-best in the conference. Hiza is seventh in the Big Ten in digs with 4.46 per game (348 total).
In Big Ten games only, Hiza ranks fifth in digs with 4.75 per game (171 total). Kremer is sixth in blocks with 1.42 per game (51 total), while Fister is ninth in assists with 9.78 per game (352 total).
Climbing the Records Ladder ? Juniors Emily Hiza and Kiley Fister are making their mark on the Iowa volleyball records books.
Fister ranks fifth in career assists (3,095). She needs only 58 more assists to move past Barb Zvonek, who is currently fourth (3,153).
Hiza started the season ranked 12th in career digs, but has tallied 348 so far in 2007 to move her into fifth place (1,365). She needs only 18 more digs to pass Kari Hamel, who is in fourth place (1,383).
It’s Been a While ? Iowa’s win over No. 11 Michigan was the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2000. The Hawkeyes defeated No. 20 Michigan State, 3-2 on October 21, 2000. Iowa came back from a two-game deficit to defeat Michigan State, 3-2 as well.
Record Setting Night ? Iowa shattered the single-game attendance record with 2,191 fans against Wisconsin October 13. The previous record of 1,690 fans was set last season against Iowa State.
Iowa Ranks High in Attendance ? Iowa’s average home attendance of 1,069 fans is the 33rd-highest average attendance in the nation. In addition, Iowa’s record crowd of 2,191 fans against Wisconsin is the 99th-largest crowd in the country so far in 2007.
Walters Undergoes Surgery ? Redshirt freshman Becky Walters underwent successful surgery to repair her injured knee, October 4.
Walters will miss the rest of the 2007 season after suffering a serious knee injury in Iowa’s match against Indiana, September 21.
Walters was leading the team with a .265 hitting percentage and also had 113 kills along with 52 total blocks (10 solo, 42 assists).
VolleyBlog ? Hawkeye juniors Catherine Smale and Emily Hiza will be blogging throughout the season for hawkeyesports.com. Both student-athletes will be discussing everything from road trips to what it’s like being an athlete at the University of Iowa.
Spartans Down Hawkeyes ? Michigan State defeated Iowa, 3-0 (24-30, 26-30, 25-30) Friday night in East Lansing, MI.
Junior Laura Kremer and sophomore Megan Schipper each finished with 10 kills. Kremer along with freshman Aimee Huffman each had four blocks.
Both teams struggled offensively in game one, with the Spartans recording a .146 hitting percentage to Iowa’s .028 percentage.
Iowa took an early 4-2 lead off of three Michigan State errors along with a Kremer kill. The Spartans tied the game at four, five and six before taking the lead for good at 7-6.
Four kills along with a .333 hitting percentage from Schipper in game two wasn’t enough, as the Spartans tallied 36 kills with a .326 hitting percentage for the win.
Game two stayed close for most of the game, with 14 ties and seven lead changes. Both teams traded points until Iowa took a 10-9 lead and kept the advantage until a tie at 15. The game stayed within one point for 13-straight rallies before Michigan State took a two-point lead at 23-21.
Game three remained close to start, with ties at three, four and seven, before the Spartans took an 8-7 lead. Michigan State stretched its lead to 11-8 before a 3-0 Hawkeye run tied the game at 11. Michigan State then went on a 9-2 surge for a commanding 24-13 advantage.
Tough Match In Evanston ? Northwestern handed Iowa a 3-0 (29-31, 22-30, 19-30) loss Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Sophomore Megan Schipper led the Hawkeyes with 10 kills while freshman Katie Kennedy added nine. Freshman Aimee Huffman put up seven total blocks.
The Hawkeyes held a comfortable lead to start game one, using a 9-4 run to gain a 15-10 lead, but Northwestern managed to knot the score at 16. The Wildcats took a 17-16 lead on the next rally and kept the advantage until Iowa took a 25-24 lead. Northwestern tied the game again at 27, but a Laura Kremer block followed by a Northwestern error gave Iowa game point at 29-27. Northwestern responded with four-straight points to earn the comeback victory.
The Wildcats took a 2-0 match lead with a 30-22 win in game two. Schipper recorded three kills with a .429 hitting percentage in the game, but four early Wildcat blocks set the tone. Iowa used three and a half blocks later in the match to cut the Wildcat lead to six, but couldn’t push ahead.
Iowa stormed out to an early 6-1 lead in game three, but Northwestern went on their own 6-1 surge to the game at seven. The Wildcats took a slim, 8-7 lead, but a Schipper kill knotted the score at eight. The game saw ties at nine and 10 before Northwestern took the lead for good at 11-10. The Hawkeyes kept the game within three points until the Wildcats finished the game on an 11-3 run to end the match.
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