Nov. 3, 2015
- Read the October 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 travels Bloomington, Indiana, for a contest against the Hoosiers on Wednesday, Nov. 4. First serve is set for 6 p.m. (CT)
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LISTEN/FOLLOW ALONG
Live audio of Wednesday’s contest is available on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com. Second-year play-by-play announcer Tim Keating will call the action. Live stats are also available. Links can be found on the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa Volleyball program and access to 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.
ALUMNI DAY
The University of Iowa volleyball team will host its annual Alumni Day on Saturday, Nov. 21, when the Hawkeyes host Northwestern at 7 p.m. (CT).
Former players who RSVP by Thursday, Nov. 12, will receive free admission to the match as well as a link to tickets for the Iowa football game against Purdue on Nov. 21 (Kickoff TBA). To receive more information and RSVP, contact Bre Payton at breann-payton@iowavolleyball.com.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
According to the NCAA, the Hawkeyes have the third-strongest strength of schedule in Division I Volleyball — the highest ranking among Big Ten opponents. Northwestern (4th), Ohio State (9th), Wisconsin (11th), Illinois (12th), and Nebraska (13th) also made the top 15.
ON THE B1G BOARD
The Hawkeyes recorded their first Big Ten win of the season on Saturday, Oct. 31, defeating Rutgers in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-20). Junior Lauren Brobst paced the Hawkeye offense with 11 kills, while sophomore Taylr McNeil added a career-high nine. Junior Loxley Keala dished out 34 assists, and sophomore Annika Olsen registered a career-high 26 digs — 11 of which came in the third set.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Eleven of Iowa’s 2015 opponents appear in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll, released on Nov. 2. No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Minnesota, No. 6 Hawaii, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 9 UCLA, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 16 Purdue, No. 18 Illinois, No. 25 Michigan are ranked within the top 25, while Texas A&M (24) is receiving votes.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Indiana leads Iowa, 38-30, all-time.
• The Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers in five sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 17-15) last season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Iowa has won its last three matches against Indiana. The Hawkeyes swept Indiana in 2013 with a 3-2 win at home on Oct. 19, 2013 and a 3-2 win on the road on Nov. 22, 2013.
A POWERHOUSE CONFERENCE
Eight Big Ten teams are included in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, released on Nov. 2. No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Minnesota, and No. 8 Nebraska appear in the to 10, while No. 12 Ohio State, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 16 Purdue, No. 18 Illinois, and No. 25 Michigan also made the list.
QUICK HITTERS
• Sophomore Annika Olsen registered a career-high 26 digs against Rutgers on Oct. 31. Eleven on her 26 digs came in the third set.
• Taylr McNeil tallied a season-high nine kills against Rutgers on Oct. 31. The sophomore also registered 10 digs.
• Loxley Keala registered her third double-double of the season against Maryland on Oct. 30. The junior recorded 50 assists and tied her season-high with 13 digs in the match. Keala also recorded double-doubles against Hawaii (26 assists, 13 digs) on Sept. 4 and American (46 assists, 13 digs) on Sept. 6.
• Sophomore Jess Janota was just one kill shy of tying her career high against Maryland on Oct. 30. Janota led the Iowa offense with 19 kills and a .516 hitting percentage.
• Freshman Reagan Davey notched her second career double-double against No. 9 Minnesota on Oct. 24. The Ocala, Florida, native recorded 11 kills and 10 digs in the contest. Davey’s first career double-double came against No. 24 Michigan on Oct. 7 (21 kills, 12 digs in five sets).
• Four Hawkeyes reached double digits in digs against Maryland on Oct. 30. Sophomore Annika Olsen led the team with 21, while freshmen Libby Koukol (16), freshman Reagan Davey (14), and junior Loxley Keala (13) also reached double digits. The Hawkeyes tallied a season-high 80 digs in the match.
• Senior Mikaela Gunderson has already surpassed her 2014 kills total. Through 25 matches, Gunderson has 184 kills (2014: 110).
IN THE BIG TEN – TEAM RANKINGS
• Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten conference in team assists with 1,108.
• Iowa has registered 104 aces on the season, the fourth highest total in the Big Ten.
• The Hawkeyes rank fourth in the Big Ten with a 1.20 aces per set average.
• The Hawkeyes have tallied 1,162 kills this season, the fourth most in the Big Ten.
• Iowa ranks fourth in the Big Ten with1,285 team digs.
IN THE BIG TEN – INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
• Sophomore Annika Olsen leads the Big Ten in total digs (428) and digs per set average (4.92).
• Junior Loxley Keala leads the conference in total assists (964).
• Keala has the fourth-best assist per set average in the Big Ten (11.08).
• Senior Mikaela Gunderson owns a .337 hitting percentage this season — the eighth best average in the Big Ten.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
• Junior Loxley Keala‘s 11.08 assists per set average ranks 27th nationally.
• Sophomore Annika Olsen ranks 35th in digs per set average (4.92).
• Keala is ranked 39th nationally in total assists (964).
FRESHMEN MAKE AN IMPACT
• Freshman Molly Kelly is currently ranked fourth among league freshmen in service aces per set average (0.24). Kelly has 21 service aces this season. She has registered three aces in a single match three times this season (Pacific, NIU, Wisconsin).
• Freshman Reagan Davey is fourth among conference freshmen in kills per set average (2.43).
• Davey (2.17) and freshman Libby Koukol (2.16) are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, among Big Ten freshmen in digs per set average.
8 STRAIGHT
The Hawkeyes won eight straight matches from Sept. 6-19 — the longest streak for the program since 2006. Iowa defeated American, 3-1, at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic on Sept. 6. The following weekend (Sept. 11-12), the Hawkeyes went 3-0 at the Comfort Suites Challenge with wins over Milwaukee (3-0), Iowa State (3-1), and No. 25 Texas A&M (3-1). Iowa continued its streak on Sept. 18-19, sweeping the Holiday Inn Hawkeye Challenge tournament field with wins over Gardner-Webb (3-0), Coastal Carolina (3-0, 3-0) and Drake (3-0).
HAWKEYES DOWN CYCLONES IN HISTORIC FASHION
In front of the fifth-largest crowd in program history (2,488), the University of Iowa volleyball team trumped the Cyclones, 3-1, for the first time since Sept. 13, 1997. The Hawkeyes used a .379 attack percentage and a season-high 66 kills to defeat Iowa State in four sets. Sophomore Jess Janota paced the Hawkeye offense with a career-high 20 kills, while freshman Libby Koukol led the team with a career-high 18 digs.
DOWN GOES NO. 25
Iowa’s 3-1 victory over No. 25 Texas A&M on Sept. 12 marked the first ranked win for the Hawkeyes since defeating No. 12 Purdue, 3-1, on Nov. 8, 2014. Junior Loxley Keala led the Hawkeye offense with a career-high 57 assists, while junior Lauren Brobst paced the team in kills (17). Freshman Reagan Davey and senior Mikaela Gunderson each contributed four blocks.
B1G SETTER OF THE WEEK
University of Iowa junior Loxley Keala was named Big Ten Conference Setter of the Week for her performance at the Comfort Suites Challenge on Sept. 11-12. It is the first conference honor of Keala’s career. The Kaneohe, Hawaii, native is the first Hawkeye to earn a Big Ten weekly award since Bethany Yeager was named defensive player of the week on Sept. 2, 2013. Keala is the first Hawkeye in program history to win a weekly setter award.
Keala posted 40-plus assists in all three matches that weekend, including a career-high 57 against No. 25 Texas A&M. She led the offense to back-to-back matches with a .300 or better attack percentage, including a season-high .379 against Iowa State and .303 versus Texas A&M. Keala tallied 154 assists and averaged 14 assists per set on the weekend.
ATTENDANCE RECORDS
Iowa has set two top-10 attendance marks this season. The Hawkeyes downed the Cyclones in front of the fifth-largest crowd in program history (2,488) on Sept. 11, before hosting the nationally ranked Huskers on Sept. 23 in front of 2,447 fans — the sixth-largest crowd in program history.
ON THE RADIO
Ten of Iowa’s 20 Big Ten Conference matches will air live on KXIC Radio this season. Second-year play-by-play announcer Tim Keating will call the action. Audio for all of Iowa’s home and away matches is available online as part of the premium content package on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com.
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.
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.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes remain on the road, traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on Purdue on Nov. 7.
