Sept. 10, 2015
- Read the September issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- Download your Hawk Talk Monthly iOS app
- Download your Hawk Talk Monthly android app
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone/iPad app
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye android app
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa volleyball team opens its home slate hosting the Comfort Suites Challenge on Sept. 11-12. The Hawkeyes face Milwaukee on Friday at 11 a.m. (CT) before taking on Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series foe Iowa State at 8 p.m. Iowa concludes weekend action with a 7 p.m. contest against No. 25 Texas A&M on Sept. 12.
WATCH
Iowa’s match against Milwaukee will be streamed on Hawkeye All-Access, while both Friday’s match-up against Iowa State and Saturday’s game against Texas A&M will be available on 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.
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LISTEN/FOLLOW ALONG
Live audio is available for all three matches on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports. com. Second-year play-by-play announcer Tim Keating will call the action. Live stats are also available for each contest on the volleyball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
PROMOTIONS
? Friday’s match against Iowa State is a blackout. Fans are encouraged to wear black, and the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a free black Iowa volleyball t-shirt.
? Friday is also Heroes Night. All active or retired military, police, firefighters or paramedics will receive free admission with an ID.
? The first 350 fans at Iowa’s match against Texas A&M on Saturday will receive a free Iowa volleyball tumbler.
PARKING
Fans attending the Iowa vs. Milwaukee match are encouraged to park in the Lot 46 meters, the Newtown Road parking ramp, or the softball parking lot.
FOLLOW 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 and Instagram. Be sure to follow the team’s live Twitter feed, @IowaVB_Live, for more frequent in-match tweets, statistics and more.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Thirteen of Iowa’s 2015 opponents are ranked in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll, released on Sept. 7. No. 1 Penn State, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 7 Illinois, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 16 Hawaii, No. 17 UCLA, No. 20 Purdue, No. 24 Michigan, and No. 25 Texas A&M are all ranked within the top 25, while Minnesota, Michigan State, and Pacific are all receiving votes.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Juniors Loxley Keala and Lauren Brobst each earned all-tournament honors following the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic on Sept. 4-6. Keala led the team in assists throughout the weekend, tallying 93 total assists in three matches. She also recorded 31 digs and six kills. Brobst paced the team with 34 kills on the weekend to bring in her second-straight all-tournament honor.
IOWA CORN CY-HAWK SERIES
? Iowa State leads the all-time series, 25-21.
? The Hawkeyes last defeated the Cyclones on Sept. 13, 1997 in three sets (15-17, 16-14, 15-3).
? The Cyclones have won the last nine matches of the series.
ALL-TIME SERIES — MILWAUKEE/TEXAS A&M
? Iowa leads Milwaukee, 6-0, all-time. The teams last met on Sept. 17, 2012. The Hawkeyes won 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 25-19, 17-15).
? Texas A&M holds a 4-0 lead in the all-time series. The Hawkeyes and Aggies met last year at the Texas A&M Invitational on Aug. 29. Texas A&M won the match, 3-0 (17-25, 17-25, 21-25).
4 IN DOUBLE DIGITS
Four Hawkeyes reached double-digits in kills in Iowa’s 3-1 win over American on Sept. 6. Junior Lauren Brobst paced the team with 16, while senior Mikaela Gunderson added a career-high 14. Junior Ashley Mariani and sophomore Jess Janota added 10 kills apiece.
QUICK HITTERS
? Junior Alyssa Klostermann has 992 career assists, just eight shy of reaching 1000. She is currently 10th on Iowa’s all-time career assists list.
? Mikaela Gunderson recorded a career-high 14 kills against American on Sept. 6. The senior finished the match with a .524 attack percentage. She also recorded four blocks in the contest.
? Junior setter Loxley Keala recorded two double-doubles last weekend in her home state of Hawaii. Keala registered 26 assists and 13 digs against No. 16 Hawaii on Sept. 4, before recording 46 assists and 13 digs against American on Sept. 6.
? Annika Olsen recorded a season-high 22 digs against American on Sept. 6. The sophomore has started every match as Iowa’s libero.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Nine Big Ten teams appeared in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, released on Sept. 7. No. 1 Penn State, No. 5 Nebraska, and No. 7 Illinois made the Top 10, while No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 20 Purdue, and No. 24 Michigan also made the list. Minnesota (46) and Michigan State (21) also received votes in the poll.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS — NIU INVITATIONAL
Junior Lauren Brobst and sophomore Jess Janota each earned all-tournament team honors following the NIU Invitational on Aug. 29-30. Brobst recorded 51 kills in three matches, including a season-high 21 against Northern Illinois on Aug. 30. She currently leads the team in kills per set average (4.25). Janota finished the tournament with 31 kills. The Concord, Ohio, native paced the team with 17 kills against Pacific on Aug. 29. B1G PRESEASON POLL
The Hawkeyes were picked to finish 11th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten, as announced by the conference office on August 13. Defending national champion Penn State was at the top of the poll, followed by Nebraska, Illinois, Big Ten Champion Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Michigan State, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan and Northwestern round out the top 10. Iowa occupies 11th ahead of Indiana, Maryland and Rutgers.
2014 IN REVIEW
In his first season at the helm, Bond Shymansky led the Hawkeyes to a 14-17 overall record and a 6-14 mark in Big Ten Conference action.
The Hawkeyes won four consecutive Big Ten Conference matches midway through the 2014 season, topping Maryland (3-0) and Rutgers (3-1) on the road before returning to Iowa City and extending its win streak with victories over Indiana (3-2) and No. 12 Purdue (3-1). It marked the longest streak since 1994, when the Hawkeyes won eight straight Big Ten matches and went on to clinch a berth to the NCAA Tournament — the most recent postseason appearance for the program.
Iowa also defeated its first ranked opponent since 2012 with a 3-1 victory over No. 12 Purdue on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Nov. 8, 2014.
NEW FACES
The 2015 roster features eight newcomers, including four with collegiate experience.
Junior setter Loxley Keala joins the program following two years at Missouri, while junior middle blocker Ashley Mariani transfers after spending two seasons at Tennessee. Sophomore Taylr McNeil — an outside hitter — played her freshman season at South Carolina, and sophomore defensive specialist Annika Olsen adds depth to the back row following a year at Georgia Tech.
The Hawkeyes also welcome four incoming freshmen, including right side hitter Reghan Coyle, outside hitter Reagan Davey, and defensive specialists Libby Koukol and Molly Kelly.
BIG TEN NETWORK COVERAGE
The University of Iowa volleyball team competes live on the Big Ten Network (BTN) or BTN Plus 16 times this season. The Hawkeyes’ match against Wisconsin on Oct. 23 in Iowa City will be televised live on BTN. First serve is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
Fifteen 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.
ON THE RADIO
Twelve of Iowa’s 20 Big Ten Conference matches will air live on KXIC Radio this season. The first broadcast of the season is Sept. 26 at Nebraska at 7 p.m. (CT). Second-year play-by-play announcer Tim Keating will call the action. Audio for all of Iowa’s home and away matches are available online as part of the premium content package on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Middle/right side hitter Jess Janota represented the Hawkeyes on a international platform this summer. The sophomore joined 13 other Big Ten student-athletes — one from each Big Ten institution — to play seven matches from June 13-25 in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.
ON DECK
The Hawkeyes host the Holiday Inn Hawkeye Challenge on Sept. 18-19. Iowa hosts Gardner-Webb, Coastal Carolina, and Drake in the two-day tournament.
