Sept. 18, 2014
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- 2014 Media Guide
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RIVALRY RUNDOWN
The Hawkeye volleyball team travels to Ames, Iowa, to take on Iowa State in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series match. The competition is set to begin at 4 p.m. (CT) in Hilton Coliseum. Entering the match, the Cyclones lead the 2014-15 series, 5-0.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
A live video stream of the match is available online for a fee at cyclones.com through Cyclones.tv. Live stats are available free of charge at hawkeyesports.com. Live play-by-play through Hawkeye All Access at hawkeyesports.com is also available for the match with Tim Keating on the call.
LINK UP WITH THE HAWKEYES
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. Follow the team’s live Twitter feed, @IowaVB_Live, for more frequent in-match tweets, play-by-play, statistics and more.
ALL-TIME
? Iowa State leads Iowa, 24-21, all-time.
? The Hawkeyes last defeated the Cyclones on Sept. 13, 1997 in three sets (15-7, 16-14, 15-3).
? The Cyclones have won the last nine matches of the series.
? Iowa and Iowa State are tied, 5-5, in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, which began in 2004.
RIGHT AT HOME
The state of Iowa is well represented on the Hawkeye and Cyclone rosters. Six-of-16 Iowa student-athletes and seven-of-17 Iowa State student-athletes hail from the state. Altogether, Iowans make up 41 percent of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk series match.
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CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
The Hawkeyes played to a 4-0 record at last weekend’s 2014 SDSU Challenge to earn the first tournament championship of the Bond Shymansky era. Iowa opened the tournament with a pair of 3-0 victories over Eastern Illinois and North Dakota on Sept. 12 and concluded the weekend with a 3-1 win over Florida International and a 3-0 win over host South Dakota State on Sept. 13.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Three Hawkeyes — Alex Lovell, Jess Janota and Alessandra Dietz — garnered all-tournament team recognition in the first three weeks of the season. Lovell and Janota were named all-tournament opening weekend at the Texas A&M Tournament, Dietz and Lovell made the Residence Inn All-Tournament team in week two, and Janota and Dietz were all-tournament selections for their efforts at the 2014 SDSU Challenge in week three.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior Alessandra Dietz ranks second all-time at Iowa with a .269 career attack percentage and 18th all-time with 225 career blocks, while fellow senior Alex Lovell is currently 10th all-time at Iowa with 1,220 career kills.
APPROACHING A MILESTONE
First-year head coach Bond Shymansky owns a career record of 298-111 (.729) and is just two wins from logging his 300th career victory. This is his 13th season as a head coach. He spent the past five seasons (2009-13) at the helm of the Marquette volleyball program and seven seasons before that leading Georgia Tech (2002-09).
A POWERHOUSE CONFERENCE
The Big Ten is considered the premier volleyball conference and continues to remain a force in Division I athletics. Seven Big Ten teams appeared in the most recent release of the AVCA Division I Coaches Poll (Sept. 15) including No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 11 Purdue, No. 16 Illinois, No. 17 Minnesota and No. 25 Michigan State. Northwestern received votes.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
? As a team, Iowa ranks 11th nationally in assists per set (13.58), 15th in kills per set (14.55), 23rd blocks per set (2.74), 43rd in team total blocks (90.5), 44th in aces per set (1.64), 46th in win-loss percentage (.800), 66th in hitting percentage (.249), 74th in team service aces (54), 84th in team assists (448) and 85th in team kills (480).
? Alex Lovell is 80th in kills per set (3.67) and 90th in points per set (4.14).
? Alessandra Dietz is 38th nationally with a .408 hitting percentage.
? Taylin Alm is 46th with a .402 hitting percentage.
? Michelle Fugarino ranks 71st in digs per set (4.55).
ON DECK
UI volleyball opens Big Ten play at Nebraska on Wednesday, Sept. 24, before making its home debut against the Cornhuskers on Saturday, Sept. 27, on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes continue their home stand with matches against Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 3, and Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 4.
SEASON TICKETS
Iowa volleyball tickets are on sale now through the UI Athletics Ticket Office. Courtside seats are $60 per seat ($48 for faculty and staff) and general admission tickets are $30 each ($24 for faculty and staff). Fans that purchase general admission seats can choose to the same reserved seats at each match for the same price. Youth can attend matches for free.
Season ticket packages include a t-shirt and access to Chalk Talks with the Iowa coaching staff in the Hadley Club Room 30 minutes before every home match on the first floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at hawkeyesports.com, by phone at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or in person at the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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.
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 292-110 (.726) amidst his 13th season.
Shymansky came 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.
