Aug. 31, 2011
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FIRST SERVE
The University of Iowa volleyball team travels to Ames this week to compete at the Iowa State Challenge. The Hawkeyes open tournament play Friday at 10 a.m. against Arizona State. Iowa plays Southern Mississippi Friday at 4:30 p.m. before facing tournament host and 19th-ranked Iowa State Saturday at 2 p.m.
IOWA STATE CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 2
10 a.m. Iowa vs. Arizona State
12 p.m. Southern Miss vs. Iowa State
4:30 p.m. Iowa vs. Southern Mississippi
6:30 p.m. Arizona State vs. Iowa State
Saturday, Sept. 3
11 a.m. Arizona State vs. Southern Mississippi
2 p.m. Iowa vs. Iowa State
HAWKEYE VOLLEYBALL – STREAMING ONLINE
Fans can follow Hawkeye volleyball at hawkeyesports.com, where play-by-play voice of the Hawkeyes Ian Martin will call Saturday’s Iowa State match live from Hilton Coliseum. Hawkeye All-Access, a subscription service committed to providing quality coverage of Hawkeye athletic events, will provide coverage of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup vs. Iowa State (9/3), the Iowa Invitational (9/9-10), and every Big Ten match this season.
OFFICIAL IOWA VOLLEYBALL BLOG – LIVE STATS
Live stats and live blogging will be available for every match at the Iowa State Challenge. A member of the Iowa volleyball staff will offer scoring updates and interactive content from the Official Iowa Volleyball Blog. Former Hawkeye Katie Kennedy and manager Melissa Brockway return in 2011 to host the live blog. Fans can also follow the action with live stats. Visit the Iowa volleyball page at hawkeyesports.com for links to live stats, blogging and Gametracker.
ARIZONA STATE (Sept. 2)
Head Coach: Jason Watson (28-36, 3rd season) 2011 Record/Conference: 2-1 overall; 0-0 (Pac 12) Top Performers: Erica Wilson, Jr., MB, 3.29 kills per set. Series Record/Last Meeting: Iowa leads 0-2/1992, ASU, 3-0
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (Sept. 2)
Head Coach: Abbey Sutherland (3-0, 1st season) 2011 Record/Conference: 3-0 overall, 0-0 (Conference USA) Top Performers: Halie Ecker, Jr., OH, 4.40 kps, 3.40 dps; Lauren Sears, Sr., MB, 2.30 kps, 1.6 bps. Series Record/Last Meeting: First Meeting
IOWA STATE (Sept. 3)
Head Coach: Christy Johnson-Lynch (128-67, 7th season) 2011 Record/Conference: 3-0 overall; 0-0 (Big 12) Top Performers: Carly Jensen, Sr., OH, 5.22 kps; Alison Landwehr, Jr., S, 12.09 aps Series Record/Last Meeting: Series tied 21-21/2010, ISU, 3-0
I-80 TO I-35 ROAD TRIP
Saturday’s contest marks Iowa’s first trip to Ames, Iowa, since 2008. The Hawkeyes’ last win in Ames was a 3-0 sweep in 1997. The overall series is tied, 21-21. Iowa State has won the last six meetings between the schools.
GOIN’ FOR FOUR
Senior Megan Eskew has hit double digits in kills in each of Iowa’s three matches. She was also the last Hawkeye to record three straight double-digit kill performances, doing so last season from Sept. 5-Sept. 12. No Hawkeye has recorded four straight matches with 10 kills or more since Megan Schipper opened the 2009 season with double-digit kills in nine consecutive contests.
GIANT SLAYERS
The Hawkeyes will get there first crack at a ranked opponent Saturday vs. No. 19 Iowa State. Iowa has defeated a ranked team in each of Dingman’s three seasons. Eight of the Hawkeyes’ 2011 appear in the latest AVCA top 25 poll. Iowa’s top 25 victories since 2008 include: vs. No. 18 Wisconsin (3-0, 2008); vs. No. 18 Michigan State (3-0, 2009); vs. No. 16 Michigan (3-1, 2010).
WHO’S THAT GIRL?
The Hawkeyes have seven newcomers on this year’s roster. They include sophomore transfer Grace Burns (5-9, DS) and true freshmen Erin Leppek (6-0, MB), Alex Lovell (5-11, OH), Megan Makuck (5-7, DS), Kari Mueller (5-7, DS), Alli O’Deen (5-11, OH) and Emily Yanny (6-2, MB).
HAWKEYE IRONWOMEN
Senior Megan Eskew and sophomore Bethany Yeager started every match last season. Eskew led the team in total attacks (800) and Yeager led Iowa in digs (464) and digs per set (4.36). Graduated senior Becky Walters was the only other Hawkeye to start every match in 2010.
Five Hawkeyes recorded starts in each of the first three matches of 2011. They include Eskew, Yeager, Emily Yanny, Mallory Husz, Alex Lovell and Nikki Dailey. Grace Burns started the season opener and Rachael Bedell has started each of the last two contests.
HAWKEYE CHALLENGE HONOREES
Sophomores Nikki Dailey and Bethany Yeager earned all-tournament honors at the 2011 Hawkeye Challenge, Aug. 26-27. The all-tournament award was the first of Dailey’s career. Yeager has earned all-tournament laurels three times in her career. She was named the top libero of the 2010 Hawkeye Challenge and Most Valuable Player at the 2010 Marcia E. Hamilton Active Ankle Challenge in St. Louis.
HIGHEST HONORABLE MENTION
For the second straight year, Iowa’s recruiting class earned Highest Honorable Mention honors from PrepVolleyball.com. The honor is bestowed to those schools that just missed being ranked inside the top 30. Iowa’s seven-person recruiting class includes one sophomore and six freshmen.
SPREAD ATTACK
Freshmen Alex Lovell and Emily Yanny have started every match this season. Lovell opened her Hawkeye career with a team-leading 14 kills in Iowa’s win over Central Michigan. Yanny averaged 2.1 kills and 1.0 blocks per set in the opening weekend, including career bests in kills (8) and total block (5) vs. Marquette.
BLACK & GOLD REPRESENTING THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Sophomores Rachael Bedell and Bethany Yeager each earned the opportunity to compete for USA Volleyball during the 2011 summer. Bedell helped lead the Women’s Junior A2-Europe Program to a gold medal at the European Global Challenge July 14-22. Yeager helped Team USA grab bronze in the International Junior Division of the USA High Performance Championships in Tucson, Ariz., July 26-29.
HAWKEYE SCHEDULE
The Hawkeyes host two preseason tournaments and make road trips to two others before beginning their 20-match Big Ten schedule. The entire 33-match schedule includes 16 contests against teams that appeared in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Iowa will face Big Ten newcomer Nebraska Oct. 19 in Lincoln, Neb., and Nov. 22 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will play a home-away series with every Big Ten team except Illinois and Northwestern. The Hawkeyes face the Illini once (at Illinois, Nov. 26) and the Wildcats once (at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Oct. 22).
TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Megan Eskew and Mallory Husz have been voted team captains for the 2011 season. In 2010, Husz led Iowa in kills per set (2.37) and ranked second in total blocks (93), while Eskew led the Hawkeyes in total attacks (800) and was one of three Hawkeyes to start every set. Eskew was also a captain in 2010. Both Hawkeyes have started every match this season.
BIG TEN GOES BIG IN PRESEASON POLL
The Big Ten is represented by seven teams in the AVCA top 25 preseason poll. Penn State was the preseason favorite for the fourth straight year. Conference newcomer Nebraska and Illinois join Penn State in the top 10 as the Huskers rank fifth and the Illini hold eighth in the poll. Other top 25 residents include Minnesota (No. 12), Purdue (No. 13), Ohio State (No. 21) and Michigan (No. 24).
SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets remain on sale through the UI Ticket Office. Season tickets are two-for-$20 and include a complementary Hawkeye t-shirt. Contact the UI Ticket Office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or visit hawkeyesports.com to place your season ticket order.