July 14, 2008
IOWA CITY – First-year Head Coach Sharon Dingman and the 2008 Iowa volleyball team will host 13 matches and play a total of 32 matches this season. The Hawkeyes face a tough schedule, including the defending national champion (twice) and 10 teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Dingman will coach her first match in Black and Gold Aug. 29 when the Hawkeyes face Nicholls State at 4:30 p.m. in the Hampton Inn/Bama Bash, hosted by the University of Alabama. Iowa will wrap up the Hampton Inn/Bama Bash the following day against two teams who participated in the NCAA Tournament last season in Western Kentucky (11 a.m.) and Alabama (7 p.m.).
Senior libero Emily Hiza will get a chance to play in her native state of Colorado Sept. 5-6 at the Pioneer Classic, hosted by the University of Denver. Iowa will face off against Tennessee (Sept. 5, 6 p.m.), Denver (Sept. 6, 1:30 p.m.) and Virginia (Sept. 6, 6 p.m.).
The Hawkeyes then travel to Ames, IA, to compete in the Iowa State Tournament. Iowa will face two teams (Iowa State and Xavier) that competed in postseason play last season. The Black and Gold will take on intra-state rival Iowa State Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. as a part of the annual HyVee Cy-Hawk Series before facing Xavier Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. The tournament will wrap up when the Hawkeyes face another intra-state rival in Drake Sept. 13 at 4:30 p.m.
Iowa will open the home portion of its schedule by hosting the 2008 Hawkeye-Holiday Inn Challenge Sept. 19-20. Portland, DePaul and Tulsa will come to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the two-day event. Iowa will take on Portland Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., DePaul Sept. 20 at 12:30 p.m. and Tulsa Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
The Hawkeyes will then dive into Big Ten Conference play the following week. Six Big Ten teams (Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State) qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season and Penn State won the 2007 NCAA national championship. Iowa opens Big Ten play at home against Wisconsin Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. followed by Northwestern Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.
After a road trip to Purdue and Illinois, the Hawkeyes return home to face the defending national champion Nittany Lions Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Indiana will visit Iowa City the following day for a 7 p.m. match.
Iowa will then play five of its next six games on the road, culminating in a match in State College, PA, against Penn State Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.
The Black and Gold return home for a two-match stint against Illinois and Purdue Nov.7-8 before hitting the road once again for matches at Northwestern (Nov. 14) and Wisconsin (Nov. 16).
Iowa wraps up the home portion of the schedule with matches against Ohio State (Nov. 21), Michigan (Nov. 22) and Minnesota (Nov. 26). Iowa’s final regular season game will be staged in East Lansing, MI, against Michigan State Nov. 28.