Oct. 17, 2013
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- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
WEEKEND SUMMARY
Iowa volleyball will take on No. 25 Purdue on Friday, Oct. 18 and Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 19 on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT and will each be covered live by the Big Ten Digital Network. Fans can view the match live on BTN.com or through the BTN2Go application. Gametracker is also available at hawkeyesports.com.
PROMOTIONS
Friday night’s match against No. 25 Purdue is Helmet Awareness Night and the first 50 UI students receive free ice cream. Saturday night’s match against Indiana is Girl Scout Night, which includes a cheer and dance clinic and a box lunch. Fans can register to win prizes before the match HERE. The match will also feature a Kids Zone with giant board games, and the Hawkeye volleyball team will sign autographs on the court following the completion of the competition.
ALL-TIME
Purdue leads Iowa in all-time meetings 20-48. The Hawkeyes’ last win over the Boilermakers occurred on Oct. 6, 2012 by a score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18). Indiana also leads Iowa in all-time meetings 27-38. The Hawkeyes last defeated the Hoosiers on Oct. 5, 2012 by a score of 3-1 (25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22).
RPI COMPARISONS
According to the most recent release of RPI rankings on Oct. 14, 2013, Iowa held a No. 90 ranking. This week’s opponents Indiana and No. 25 Purdue rank No. 103 and No. 47, respectively.
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue owns a No. 25 national ranking, a 11-6 overall record, and 2-4 mark in Big Ten action heading into this Friday’s match. Tenth-year head coach Steve Shondell leads the Boilermakers and he is assisted by Kathy Jewell and John Shondell. The roster is made up of four freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors, and five seniors. Val Nichol paces the team in kills with 159 (2.48 per set) and assists with 368 (5.75 per set). Carly Cramer has a team-high 260 digs (4.06 per set), and Faye Adelaja has a team-most 83 blocks (1.30). As a team, Purdue has a .230 hitting percentage and a 13.03 kills per set average.
WHO ARE THE HOOSIERS
Indiana brings an overall record of 8-9 and a Big Ten mark of 0-6 into the Saturday night matchup. Head coach Sherry Dunbar is in her seventh season at the helm and she is assisted by Nancy Mueller and Paul Koncir. The Hoosier roster is comprised of five freshmen, six sophomores, one junior, and four seniors. Morgan Leach and Awele Nwaeze lead the team in kills with 164 (2.69 per set) and 157 (2.57 per set), respectively. Nwaeze also paces the squad in blocks with 40 (0.77 per set). Katie Gallagher has a team-most 367 assists (7.06 per set), and Caitlin Hansen has a team-high 225 digs (3.69 per set). As a team, Indiana owns a .215 hitting percentage and a 13.16 kills per set average.
BIG TEN, B1G DEAL
The Big Ten Conference continues to be the most represented conference in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. In its most recent release on Oct. 14, 2013, eight teams remained represented. No. 4 Penn State led the way, while No. 5 Michigan State, No. 8 Nebraska, and No. 10 Minnesota rounded out the top 10. Also appearing in the poll were No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Ohio State, and No. 25 Purdue. Once again, Illinois received votes but did not make the cut.
PEAK WEEK
During the 2012 regular season, the Hawkeyes had their best weekend of the Big Ten Conference season when they earned wins over Indiana, 3-1, and No. 12 Purdue, 3-0. The 2013 Hawkeye team looks to end its seven-match losing streak on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this weekend with a repeat performance of last season’s winning weekend over the Hoosiers and the Boilermakers.
RECORD WATCH
Senior libero Bethany Yeager is inching closer to the Iowa career digs record of 1,931 held by Janet Moylan. Yeager has a total of 1,828 in her career thus far, good for a third place ranking. Senior setter Nikki Dailey remains sixth in career assists with a total of 2,917. She is also 14th all-time in career service aces (89) and tied for 16th in career digs (961). Junior Alex Lovell is just 36 kills from becoming the 17th player to reach the 1,000 career kill threshold. She has a total of 964, which ranks her 17th all-time.
STACKING UP
Iowa volleyball leads the Big Ten in the digs category following week seven of the 2013 season. The Hawkeyes have 1,138 digs (15.81 per set) on the year, which is 94 more than Wisconsin who has the second-highest digs count with 1,044. Nebraska is second in digs per set with an average of 15.00. The Hawkeyes also rank second in the Big Ten in service aces with a total of 107 for a 1.49 service ace per set average. Alex Lovell ranks seventh in kills per set (3.75) and points per set (4.08). Bethany Yeager is second in digs per set (4.25), Nikki Dailey is sixth in service aces per set (0.30), and Erin Leppek is 10th in service aces per set (0.28).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Iowa volleyball is ranked 46th in aces per set (1.49) and 54th in digs per set (15.81), according to the NCAA’s most recent statistics release on Oct. 14, 2013. Alex Lovell is 64th with a kills per set average of 3.75.
TARGETING THE TOP
The Hawkeyes have defeated a ranked opponent in four of Dingman’s five previous seasons. Iowa will have plenty of opportunities to continue that trend, as eight of its Big Ten opponents appear in the AVCA Division I Coaches 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); at No. 12 Purdue (3-0, 2012).
NOTHING BUT THE BEST
Iowa became the sixth college team in the country to receive a Taraflex Sport M Plus floor on Sept. 19. The portable playing surface, which lies on top of the basketball court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, has been the Olympic volleyball surface of choice since 1976. The Hawkeyes played on their new floor for the first time on Sept. 21 against Iowa State.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are two-for-$30 and include a complimentary Hawkeye t-shirt. All season ticket holders receive snacks and drinks in the Hadley Club rom following the second set of each home match. Contact the UI Ticket Office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or visit hawkeyesports.com to place your season ticket order.