Nov. 21, 2011
- 2011 Media Guide
- Iowa Volleyball Promotional Events
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
FIRST SERVE
The University of Iowa volleyball team hosts Nebraska on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Admission is $3 for adults and free for UI students with a valid ID and youth age 18 and younger. The Hawkeyes then finish the regular season with a trip to Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Saturday at 7 p.m. inside Huff Hall.
ON YOUR COMPUTER – HAWKEYE ALL-ACCESS
Tuesday’s contests will be streamed live on hawkeyesports.com via Hawkeye All-Access, a subscription service committed to providing quality coverage of University of Iowa athletic events. The voice of Iowa volleyball, Ian Martin, will provide live coverage from Carver-Hawkeye Arena beginning Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. Saturday’s contest will streamed audio-only on Hawkeye All-Access. Martin will have the call live from Huff Hall beginning at 7 p.m.
OFFICIAL IOWA VOLLEYBALL BLOG – LIVE STATS
Live stats and live blogging will be available for both matches this week. 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 on Gametracker. Visit the Iowa volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com to follow the action.
NEBRASKA (Nov. 22)
Head Coach: John Cook (12th season, 359-32)
2011 Record/Conference: 23-3, 16-2 (clinched at least a share of Big Ten title)
Top Performers: Gina Mancuso, Jr., OH, leads Nebraska and ranks ninth in Big Ten averaging 3.52 kills per set; Hayley Thramer, So., MB, ranks sixth in the Big Ten averaging 1.16 blocks per set.
Series: Record/Last Meeting: NU leads 15-0/2011, NU 3-0 (at NU)
Streak: Nebraska, 15
ILLINOIS (Nov. 26)
Head Coach: Kevin Hambly (third season, 71-22)
2011 Record/Conference: 25-4, 14-4 (tied for 2nd)
Top Performers: Michelle Bartsch, Sr., OH, ranks sixth in the Big Ten averaging 3.85 kills per set; Anna Dorn, Fr., MB, 148 total blocks ranks third in the Big Ten.
Series Record/Last Meeting: Illinois leads 49-13/2011, Illinois 3-1 (at Illinois)
Streak: Illinois, 11
Iowa’s last win: Oct. 10, 2005, 3-0 at Illinois
SENIOR NIGHT
Hawkeye seniors Megan Eskew, Mallory Husz and Tiffany Nilges are making their final Carver-Hawkeye Arena appearances Tuesday night. Eskew, a fifth-year senior, has 643 kills in 103 career matches. Nilges has 430 kills in 92 career matches. Husz will appear in her 100th career match Tuesday. She has totaled 538 kills in her career. All three seniors will be recognized following Tuesday’s match.
CHASE FOR 300
Alex Lovell is just 12 kills shy of becoming the first Hawkeye freshman to reach 300 kills in a single season since Catherine Smale totaled 441 kills as a freshman in 2005. Lovell leads Iowa with 288 kills, averaging 2.62 per set.
SECOND YEAR ASSISTS
Sophomore Nikki Dailey is the first Hawkeye to reach 1,000 assists in a single season since Kiley Fister dished 1,020 in 2008. She has 1,073 and will finish the season as Iowa’s leader in assists. The last Hawkeye sophomore to lead the team in assists was Fister in 2006. Dailey has 1,379 career assists, the seventh highest total in program history (records since 1983).
HUSZ IN THE HISTORY BOOKS
Senior Mallory Husz’s .216 career attack percentage ranks 18th in Iowa program history. Husz is swinging at a .239 percentage this year after setting a career high with a .238 percentage in 2010.
YEAGER DIGS INTO THE TOP 20
Bethany Yeager’s 957 career digs rank 15th all-time in program history. Her 495 digs this season rank No. 3 in the Big Ten. With five more digs, she’ll become the first Hawkeye in five years to pass the 500 dig mark. Emily Hiza picked up 545 in 2006.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Through 31 matches, the Hawkeyes’ freshmen and sophomores have combined for 62-percent of Iowa’s starts. Sophomores Bethany Yeager and Nikki Dailey have started every match this season. Chante’ Thompson (9), Rachael Bedell (5) and Grace Burns have also cracked the starting seven. Iowa’s freshmen starters include Alex Lovell (26), Emily Yanny (17), Erin Leppek (9) and Kari Mueller (5).
YEAGER MISSES SET
Sophomore Bethany Yeager missed the first set of her career against Michigan State (11/4). Yeager was battling back pain and did not play in the third set. Junior Allison Straumann served as Iowa’s libero in Yeager’s absence. Yeager returned the following night and played all five sets vs. No. 23 Michigan (11/5). She has started every one of Iowa’s 60 matches since arriving on campus in 2010.
DIGGING 101
The Hawkeyes picked up 101 digs in a five-set loss to Michigan (11/5) Only one other Big Ten team has recorded 100-plus digs in a match this season — Michigan, twice — the Wolverines picked up 102 digs vs. Iowa and 108 digs vs. Northwestern (11/18).
HAWKEYES IN THE TOP 10
Two Hawkeyes are ranked in the conference top 10 in three categories. Sophomore Nikki Dailey ranks ninth in service aces per set (0.28) and ninth in assists per set (9.25). Sophomore Bethany Yeager ranks fifth averaging 4.30 digs per set.
I LOVELL THIS PLACE
Freshman Alex Lovell has made a home in Iowa City and on top of Iowa’s box scores. Lovell leads the Hawkeyes with 288 kills, averaging a team-high 2.62 kills per set. Her 19 kills vs. Ohio State (9/23) were the most by a Hawkeye freshman vs. a Big Ten opponent since Catherine Smale totaled 21 kills vs. Michigan State in 2005. Lovell has recorded double-digit kills in 12 matches, which ties senior Megan Eskew for the team lead. Lovell also leads Iowa with 158 kills in conference play (2.51 average).
YEAGER DIGS THE D
Sophomore Bethany Yeager ranks third in the Big Ten with 495 total digs. Her 4.30 average leads the Hawkeyes and ranks No. 4 in the conference. Yeager picked up 4.36 digs per set during her freshman campaign, the fourth highest total in the Big Ten.
LEADING THE DAILEY-DOUBLE
Sophomore Nikki Dailey has 13 double-doubles this season, three more than senior Megan Eskew. Eskew’s double-doubles come in the form of kills-digs, while Dailey uses the assist-dig combination to accomplish the feat. Eskew’s most impressive effort came in Iowa’s five-set win over Oakland when she recorded a career high 19 kills and a career best 18 digs. Dailey had a career-high 60 assists in the same match. Mallory Husz (1), Alex Lovell (5) and Tiffany Nilges (7) have also recorded double-doubles this season.
HAWKEYE IRONWOMEN
Three Hawkeyes have started all 31 of Iowa’s matches. They include Megan Eskew, Bethany Yeager and Nikki Dailey. Eskew and Yeager started all 29 matches last season, extending their streak of consecutive starts to 60. Yeager has not missed a start in her collegiate career.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Seven Hawkeyes earned all-tournament honors following Iowa’s four preseason tournaments. They include Bethany Yeager (Hawkeye Challenge, Iowa State Challenge, Iowa Invitational); Nikki Dailey (Hawkeye Challenge, Iowa Invitational); Alex Lovell (Iowa Invitational, Columbia Invitational); Megan Eskew (Iowa State Invitational); Mallory Husz (MVP Columbia Invitational); Tiffany Nilges (MVP Iowa Invitational); Chante’ Thompson (Columbia Invitational).
TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Megan Eskew and Mallory Husz have been voted team captains for the 2011 season. Husz leads the Hawkeyes in total blocks (64) and Eskew ranks second in both kills (189) and digs (228).