Aug. 27, 2014
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SET FOR THE SEASON
The University of Iowa volleyball team opens regular season play at the Texas A&M Tournament in College Station, Texas, on Aug. 29-30. The Hawkeyes take on the Aggies at 10 a.m. (CT) and UT-San Antonio at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and conclude weekend action against Tulane at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Each match will take place at Reed Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can access live scoring links, match results and box scores on the tournament central page at 12thman.com. Iowa’s match against Texas A&M on Friday at 10 a.m. (CT) will be streamed live on SEC Network +, available only on WatchESPN through participating television providers.
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LINK UP WITH THE HAWKS
For an inside look at the Iowa Volleyball program and to access exclusive coverage, “like” University of Iowa Volleyball on Facebook and follow @IowaVolleyball on Twitter. Be sure to follow the team’s live Twitter feed, @IowaVB_Live, for more frequent in-match tweets, play-by-play, statistics and more.
A NEW ERA
Bond Shymansky was named the ninth head coach of the Iowa volleyball program on Jan. 31, 2014. The UI alum and Iowa City, Iowa, native owns a career record of 290-109 (.727) in 12 years.
Shymansky comes to Iowa following five seasons (2009-13) at the helm of the Marquette volleyball program, where he guided the Golden Eagles to their first NCAA berth, NCAA victory, and first Big East regular season title. Marquette also won a Big East Tournament Championship, and made three-straight postseason appearances (2011-13).
Shymansky added associate head coach Michaela Franklin and assistant coach Jackie Simpson on Feb. 25, 2014 and completed his staff with the addition of director of operations Danielle Carlson.
#GREATTODAY
The Hawkeye volleyball program has been focused on one moniker since the arrival of head coach Bond Shymansky and his staff. Whether student-athletes are on the court, training in the weight room or learning in the classroom, the Hawkeyes want to be #GreatToday. A major shift in a program can be challenging, but striving for greatness in each area with exceptional effort has been helpful for the group.
BIG TEN NETWORK COVERAGE
The University of Iowa volleyball team competes live on Big Ten Network (BTN) and BTN Plus 13 times this season. The Hawkeyes’ match against Illinois on Oct. 15 in Iowa City will be televised live on BTN. First serve has been changed from 7 p.m. (CT) to 8 p.m. to accommodate the schedule of the network.
Thirteen Iowa matches will be shown via live stream online through BTN Plus. To see if your cable package gives you access to BTN Plus content, sign up for BTN Plus or learn more about it, visit btn2go.com.
ALL-TIME
? Texas A&M leads Iowa, 3-0, all-time. The teams last met on Sept. 17, 1996 at the GTE Aggie Volleyball Classic in College Station, Texas. The Aggies recorded a 3-0 win (7-15, 3-15, 3-15).
? UT-San Antonio and Iowa will play for the first time in school history on Friday night.
? Iowa leads Tulane, 2-0, all-time. The Hawkeyes defeated the Green Wave on Sept.14, 1984 in five sets (11-15, 15-4, 15-11, 12-15, 15-1) and on Sept. 8, 2006 in three sets (30-23, 30-22, 30-24).
A LOOK BACK
UI volleyball opened the 2013 regular season at the Chanticleer Invitational on Aug. 30-31. The Hawkeyes were crowned invitational champions after posting a 3-0 record on the weekend. The squad topped Wofford in five sets (25-14, 20-25, 26-24, 17-25, 15-8), Youngstown State in five sets (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-18, 15-11) and host Coastal Carolina in four sets (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23).
The Hawkeyes stretched their season-opening win streak to five matches with wins over Rhode Island Eastern Michigan in three and four sets, respectively, in Valparaiso Tournament action, Sept. 6-7.
QUICK HITTERS
? Outside hitter Alex Lovell has led the Hawkeyes in kills in each of the last three seasons. The senior, who currently ranks 14th all-time at Iowa with 1,099 kills, has appeared in every match of her UI career and started every match of her sophomore and junior seasons. Lovell has appeared in 288 consecutive sets and played in 357-of-363 sets of her Iowa career.
? Middle blocker Alessandra Dietz led Iowa in blocks as a junior (20 solo, 92 assists, 112 total) and sophomore (9 solo, 72 assists, 81 total). The senior also led the team in service aces (26) and attack percentage (.262) in 2013. Dietz was voted a co-captain in the preseason.
? Sophomore setter Alyssa Klostermann appeared in every match in 2013 with four starts. She recorded the second-highest totals in services aces (25) and assists (484). Klostermann was voted a co-captain in the preseason.
IOWA TIES
Head coach Bond Shymansky and six student-athletes — Kaylee Smith, Kari Mueller, Danielle Cabel, Alli O’Deen, Alyssa Klostermann and Lauren Brobst — on the 2014 roster were born and raised in the state of Iowa.
For a few Hawkeyes, playing volleyball at the UI is a family affair. O’Deen’s mother, Mueller’s sister, and Smith’s mother all played volleyball for Iowa in the past.
Shymansky, an Iowa City native, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1995 and a Master of Arts in English Education in 1997 from the University of Iowa. He played men’s volleyball for the UI club team as a student.
PREP VOLLEYBALL HONORS
The 2014 UI volleyball incoming class of junior transfer Mikaela Gunderson and freshmen Taylin Alm, Danielle Cabel, Michelle Fugarino, Jess Janota and Kaylee Smith received Prep Volleyball Highest Honorable Mention distinction in May.
Prep Volleyball consults college coaches from across the country and compiles a Top 30 recruiting class list, followed by a 25-team Highest Honorable Mention list and a 44-team High Honorable Mention list.
U.S. NATIONAL TEAM TRYOUTS
Three Hawkeyes — senior Alessandra Dietz, junior Erin Radke and sophomore Lauren Brobst — gained valuable experience trying out for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in February.
AVCA TEAM ACCOLADE
UI volleyball earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2013-14 season after maintaining a team cumulative GPA above 3.30. The Hawkeyes were one-of-134 Division I teams to be recognized — a new record for the award.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Seven Big Ten teams appeared in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, released on August 11. No. 1 Penn State, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 8 Purdue made the Top 10, while No. 11 Illinois, No. 12 Minnesota and No. 16 Michigan State also made the list. Michigan received votes (23) in the poll.
B1G PRESEASON POLL
The Hawkeyes are picked to finish 11th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten, as announced by the conference office on August 14. Defending national and Big Ten champion Penn State was at the top of the poll, followed by Nebraska, NCAA runner-up Wisconsin, Illinois and Purdue. Michigan State, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio State and Northwestern round out the top 10. Iowa occupies 11th ahead of Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers.
ON DECK
The Hawkeyes continue the season on the road with tournaments at Arizona State (Sept. 6-7) and South Dakota State (Sept. 12-13). Iowa heads to Iowa State for the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Sept. 20, then opens Big Ten Conference action at Nebraska on Sept. 24. The team begins its home slate on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sept. 27 against the Cornhuskers.
