Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2016-17 | Game Notes (PDF)
SERVE IT UP
The University of Iowa volleyball team opens its home slate when it hosts the 2016 Hawkeye Classic this weekend. The Hawkeyes host Western Illinois, Arizona State, Butler, and Oakland in the two-day tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Admission is $6 on Friday and includes access to all five matches. Admission is free for all fans on Saturday.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday (Sept. 2) Saturday (Sept. 3)
Butler vs. Oakland (9 a.m.) Butler vs. IOWA (10 a.m.)
Western Illinois vs. IOWA (11:30 a.m.) Oakland vs. Arizona State (12:30 p.m.)
Arizona State vs. Butler (2 p.m.) Butler vs. Western Illinois (4:30 p.m.)
Oakland vs. Western Illinois (4:30 p.m.) Oakland vs. IOWA (7 p.m.)
Arizona State vs. IOWA (7 p.m.)
WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW ALONG
- Iowa’s matches against Western Illinois (11:30 a.m.) and Arizona State (7 p.m.) on Friday will both be streamed live 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.
- Iowa’s matches against Butler (10 am. ) and Oakland (7 p.m.) on Saturday will be streamed on Hawkeye All-Access at hawkeyesports.com. Third-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.
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.
PROMOTIONS
- Arizona State Match: The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free phone card holder, and the first 250 fans will have access to a free taco bar.
- Oakland Match: Free admission for all fans.
CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA UPGRADES
Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s new LED Daktronics scoreboard will be unveiled at Iowa’s home opener against Western Illinois on Friday. A new four-sided center hung video system is the centerpiece of the renovations. Four auxiliary displays, two at each end of the arena, have also been installed as part of Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s upgrades.
PARKING OPTIONS
- Friday: During the UI workday (prior to 4:30 p.m.), parking is available for fans in the Newton Road Parking Ramp. After 4:30, parking is available in Lot 46, the north half of Lot 75, and Lot 33 (north Dental lot).
- Saturday: Fans can take the Cambus Hawkeye Commuter football shuttle, which will have extended hours on Saturday to accommodate volleyball. Parking is free at the Hawkeye Commuter lot, and the free bus shuttle will begin at 9 a.m. and will conclude following the end of the volleyball tournament. Otherwise, football game day parking will be in effect on Saturday. For other parking options, visit footballgameday.com.
SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
- Western Illinois brings a 0-3 record into the Hawkeye Classic after dropping matches to Akron (2-3), Bradley (0-3), and Milwaukee (0-3) in opening weekend action.
- Junior transfer Shalyn Greenhaw leads the team with 28 kills (3.45 k/s) and ranks second on the team with 35 digs. Kaili Simmons tallied 38 digs in the opening weekend, while Lexi Kolschefski leads the team will 11 total blocks.
- The Hawkeyes hold a 19-3 advantage in the all-time series. Iowa and Western Illinois last met at the 2013 Hawkeye Challenge. The Hawkeyes won, 3-1 (25-13, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22).
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE
- Arizona State went 2-1 in its opening weekend with wins over Fairfield and Abilene Christian and a loss to New Mexico.
- Maya McClendon led the Sun Devils with 37 kills last weekend, while Oluoma Okaro added 36. Halle Harker paced the team with 45 digs, and Kylie Pickrell added 118 assists. Okaro led the team with 10 blocks.
- The Sun Devils hold a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. Arizona State defeated Iowa at the 2014 Arizona State Invitational.
SCOUTING BUTLER
- Butler is 2-2 on the season after losing to Gonzaga and Utah and registering wins against Idaho State and Eastern Illinois.
- Anna Logan leads the team with 89 kills on the season, while Makayla Ferguson leads the team with 128 assists. Taylor Takeda tallied a team-leading 77 digs in four matches this season, and Jessi Klingensmith paces the team with 14 total blocks.
- The Hawkeyes and Bulldogs will meet for the second time on Saturday. Iowa won the first meeting, 3-0 (15-4, 15-10, 15-8), at the 1994 Hawkeye Classic.
SCOUTING OAKLAND
- Oakland went 2-1 in opening weekend action with its lone loss coming from No. 23 Louisville (3-1; 17-25, 25-27, 31-29, 19-25).
- Melissa Deatsch led the team with 38 kills on the weekend, while Jordan Lentz added 103 assists. Darrin Rice and Deatsch each added 28 digs, and Krysteena Davis led the team with eight blocks.
- Iowa owns a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. Oakland won the last meeting, 3-2 (25-22, 25-16, 16-25, 22-25, 13-25), at the 2012 Golden Grizzly Invitational.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Senior Lauren Brobst was named the NIU Invitational’ s most valuable player, and redshirt freshman Meghan Buzzerio and junior Annika Olsen were both named to the all-tournament team. Brobst finished the weekend with 38 kills and a .471 attack percentage. Buzzerio added 32 kills and 21 digs in her first three matches in a Hawkeye uniform, while Olsen paced the team with 46 digs.
KLOSTERMANN SURPASSES 1,000
Alyssa Klostermann surpassed 1,000 career assists on Aug. 27 against DePaul. The senior’s 1,001 career assists ranks 11th on Iowa’s all-time list. Janet Moylan (1987-90) holds the school record with 5,471 career assists.
.300+
The Hawkeyes registered a hitting percentage of .300 or better in each of their first three matches of the season at the NIU Invitational. Iowa hit .308 against Loyola-Chicago, a season-high .333 against DePaul, and .319 verses Northern Illinois.
BROBST ON THE OUTSIDE
- Senior Lauren Brobst hit .471 last weekend with 38 kills in 70 attempts and just five errors.
- Brobst led the Hawkeyes in kills against DePaul (14) and Loyola-Chicago (16).
- The Sioux City, Iowa, native hit .350 or better in each of the first three matches, including .565 against DePaul and .455 verses Northern Illinois.
- Brobst hit .778 in the third set against Northern Illinois, recording seven kills in nine attempts with no errors to seal the sweep for the Hawkeyes.
BUZZERIO MAKES AN IMPACT
- Freshman Meghan Buzzerio posted 32 kills and 21 digs in her first three matches in a Hawkeye uniform.
- Buzzerio reached double digits in kills in two-of-three matches with 12 against Loyola-Chicago and Northern Illinois.
- The Chino Hills, California, native paced the team with 10 digs against DePaul.
MARIANI ON THE BLOCK
Ashley Mariani led the Hawkeyes in blocks in all three matches at the NIU Invitational. The senior tied her career high with four blocks in back-to-back matches against DePaul and Northern Illinois.
COYLE SETS CAREER HIGH
Reghan Coyle set a new career high with a .571 hitting percentage against Northern Illinois on Aug. 28. The sophomore registered 10 kills in 14 total attempts with just two errors. Coyle tallied 20 kills in opening weekend action.
TRUE MENTAL TOUGHNESS
The Hawkeyes have been focused on one mantra since the beginning of the season: True Mental Toughness. Bond Shymansky’s squad defines true mental toughness as having a great attitude, treating others really, really well, being unconditionally grateful regardless of your circumstances, and giving your very, very best.
THE PREMIER CONFERENCE
The Big Ten Conference has had an NCAA Champion in eight of the last 12 years. Nine teams — Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue — appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament with Nebraska winning their fourth national title. The title marked the third straight for the Big Ten Conference.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Nine Big Ten teams appeared in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll, released Aug. 29. Defending National Champion Nebraska holds the top spot followed by No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 13 Penn State, No. 17 Illinois, and No. 24 Purdue. Michigan State and Michigan also received votes in the poll.
EUROPEAN TOUR
From May 24-June 6 the Hawkeyes traveled to four different countries as part of the program’s first European Tour. With stops in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ireland, the Hawkeyes squared off with professional and junior national teams to improve their game and bond as a unit.
NEW FACES
- The 2016 roster features five newcomers, including two with collegiate experience.
- Redshirt sophomore Kasey Reuter (OH) transferred from Missouri and joined the Hawkeyes last spring. The Sioux City, Iowa, native appeared in 31 matches with 12 starts as an outside hitter for the Tigers in 2014 before redshirting in 2015.
- Redshirt freshman Meghan Buzzerio (OH/RS) transferred from Arizona to join the Hawkeyes this fall. The Chino Hills, California, native went to Arizona ranked 96th nationally on PrepVolleyball.com’s Senior Aces list.
- The Hawkeyes also welcome three incoming freshman including defensive specialists Alexa Ito and Emily Bushman and outside hitter Cali Hoye.
ATTENDANCE RECORDS/SEASON TICKET SALES
- Iowa set two top-10 attendance marks in 2015. 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.
- Iowa has sold more tickets in 2016 than it has in each of its previous seasons dating back to 2010.
IOWA TIES
Head coach Bond Shymansky and six student-athletes — Lauren Brobst, Reghan Coyle, Alexa Ito, Molly Kelly, Alyssa Klostermann, and Kasey Reuter — were born and raised in the state of Iowa. Shymansky, an Iowa City native, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa. He played men’s volleyball for the UI club team as a student.
IOWA ON BTN
The Hawkeyes compete live on the Big Ten Network (BTN) or BTN Plus 20 times this season. Iowa’s matches at Michigan State on Sept. 23 and verses Minnesota on Oct. 21 will be televised live on BTN. Eighteen 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 at visit btn2go.com.
ON DECK
The Hawkeyes travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Invitational, Sept. 9-10. Iowa and Iowa State face off in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Friday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. (CT), before facing Montana and North Dakota State on Saturday, Set. 10.