Nov. 20, 2015
- Read the November 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 hosts Northwestern in its home finale Saturday, Nov. 21. First serve is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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WATCH
Saturday’s contest will be streamed live online via Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com. Links are available on the Iowa volleyball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
LISTEN/FOLLOW ALONG
Live audio 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 on the volleyball schedule page on 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.
SENIOR NIGHT
Three Hawkeye seniors — Mikaela Gunderson, Erin Radke, and Alli O’Deen — will play their final home game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday night. The three will be honored in a ceremony before the game. Fans are also invited to attend a senior banquet in the Feller Club Room located on the fourth floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
ALUMNI DAY
Saturday is Alumni day. Fourteen former student-athletes and coaches will be honored with a ceremony between sets two and three.
ALL-TIME SERIES – NORTHWESTERN
• Northwestern leads Iowa, 41-27-1, all-time.
• The Wildcats defeated the Hawkeyes in four sets (16-25, 25-22, 11-25, 20-25) in Evanston, Illinois, on Oct. 18.
• In 2014, the Hawkeyes split a pair of contests with the Wildcats. Iowa won the first meeting, 3-2, in Iowa City, Iowa, on Oct. 18, before Northwestern defeated the Hawkeyes in straight sets in Evanston, Illinois, on Nov. 22.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
According to the NCAA, the Hawkeyes have the fourth-strongest strength of schedule in Division I Volleyball — the second highest ranking among Big Ten opponents. Northwestern (2nd), Minnesota (6th), Wisconsin (8th), and Ohio State (10th) also made the top 10.
A POWERHOUSE CONFERENCE
Eight Big Ten teams are included in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, released on Nov. 16. No. 3 Minnesota, No. 4 Penn State, No. 6 Nebraska, and No. 10 Wisconsin appear in the top 10, while No. 15 Purdue, No. 16 Ohio State, and No. 18 Illinois also made the list. Michigan (39) is receiving votes in the poll.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Eleven of Iowa’s 2015 opponents appear in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll, released on Nov. 16. No. 3 Minnesota, No. 4 Penn State, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 8 Hawaii, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 UCLA, No. 15 Purdue, No. 16. Ohio State, No. 18 Illinois, and No. 25 Texas A&M are ranked in the top 25, while Michigan (39) is receiving votes.
KEALA MAKES HISTORY
Loxley Keala recorded her 1,000th assist against Purdue on Nov. 7. The junior’s 1,147 assists rank eighth on Iowa’s all-time career assists list. Janet Moylan (1987-90) holds the school record with 5,471 career assists. Keala has started every match and every set as Iowa’s setter this season. The Kaneohe, Hawaii, native has registered 50 or more assists seven times this season, including a career-high 64 against Michigan on Oct. 7.
STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
Sophomore Annika Olsen along with Desmond King (football) and Madison Waymire (cross country) were named October student-athletes of the month last week. The award honors University of Iowa student-athletes who display excellence in athletics, academics, and community service, as voted on by their peers. Olsen led the team with a 5.23 digs per set average during the month of October. The Johns Creek, Georgia, native currently leads the Big Ten with a 4.74 digs per set average. She reached double digits in digs in all 10 October matches, including a career-high 26 in Iowa’s win over Rutgers on Oct. 31.
QUICK HITTERS
• Junior Loxley Keala is now eighth on Iowa’s all-time career assists list. The junior transfer has 1,147 assists in her career (at Iowa).
• Senior Mikaela Gunderson leads the team with a .338 attack percentage this season, and a 9.77 blocks per set average. Her attack percentage ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
• Junior Alyssa Klostermann has 994 career assists — six assists away from 1,000.
• Reghan Coyle has registered a new career high in kills in three of the last four matches. The freshman recorded a career-high nine kills against Ohio State on Nov. 18. She also set a new career high in blocks with three (1 block solo, 2 block assists). Coyle has started the last five matches for the Hawkeyes.
• Sophomore Annika Olsen has 498 digs on the season — just two digs away from 500. She will become just the seventh Hawkeye to record 500 digs in a single season.
IN THE BIG TEN – TEAM RANKINGS
• The Hawkeyes have registered 124 aces on the season, the third highest total in the Big Ten.
• Iowa ranks fourth in the Big Ten conference in team assists with 1,311.
• The Hawkeyes rank fifth in the Big Ten with a 1.18 aces per set average.
• Iowa ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 1,503 team digs.
IN THE BIG TEN – INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
• Sophomore Annika Olsen leads the Big Ten in total digs (498) and digs per set average (4.74).
• Junior Loxley Keala leads the conference in total assists (1,147).
• Keala has the fifth-best assist per set average in the Big Ten (10.92).
• Senior Mikaela Gunderson owns the sixth-highest hitting percentage in the conference (.338).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
• Junior Loxley Keala‘s 10.92 assists per set average ranks 37th nationally.
• Keala is ranked 31st nationally in total assists (1,147).
• Sophomore Annika Olsen ranks 58th in digs per set average (4.74).
FRESHMEN MAKE AN IMPACT
• Freshman Reagan Davey is fourth among conference freshmen in kills per set average (2.43).
• Freshman Molly Kelly is currently ranked sixth among league freshmen in service aces per set average (0.21). Kelly has 22 service aces this season. She has registered three aces in a single match three times (Pacific, NIU, Wisconsin).
• Davey (2.17) and freshman Libby Koukol (2.05) rank eighth and 10th, respectively, among Big Ten freshmen in digs per set average.
BACK-TO-BACK
The Hawkeyes recorded back-to-back Big Ten wins against Rutgers (Oct. 31) and Indiana (Nov. 4). Iowa recorded its first Big Ten win of the season, defeating Rutgers in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes extended the streak with a 3-0 sweep at Indiana (25-19, 25-21, 25-20). The victory marked the first true road win for the Hawkeyes this season.
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.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to College Park, Maryland, for a Big Ten contest against the Terrapins on Wednesday, Nov. 25. First serve is set for 6 p.m. (CT).
