Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch | Match Notes
SERVE IT UP
The Hawkeyes head west for the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge in Seattle, Washington. Iowa opens the weekend against No. 13 Washington on Friday at 10 p.m. (CT). Iowa finishes the weekend against No. 21 Colorado on Saturday at 5 p.m. Both matches are played at Alaskan Airlines Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Live audio is available for both matches on Hawkeye All-Access via hawkeyesports.com.
- All matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks (subscription required)
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
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LOUIS Leading NCAA
- Senior Taylor Louis continues to pace the country in kills. Louis’ 1,584 career kills leads the NCAA by 15 (Taylor Reiss; Southwest Minn. State) and is 139 kills ahead of the country’s third leading player (Jaali Winters; Creighton)
- Louis ranks second in the Big Ten this season with 50 total kills. She is fifth in the conference with 4.17 kills per set.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
- Freshman Hannah Clayton has already made an immediate impact on defense with 18 blocks in her first three matches to rank 35th in the nation.
- Clayton anchors an Iowa defense that is ranked 24th in the NCAA in blocks per set with 2.92.
- Clayton ranks third in the Big Ten with 18 total blocks and is tied for first with 17 assisted blocks.
DIGGING FOR GOLD
- Senior Molly Kelly has made the most of her first matches as Iowa’s libero with a team-high 60 digs.
- Kelly’s 60 digs leads the Big Ten. She is fifth in digs per set (5).
- Kelly had back-to-back career-high performances against SMU and Lipscomb. Kelly recorded a career-high 20 digs in a win over SMU and bested that mark with 24 digs later that day in a five set loss against Lipscomb.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
- Washington opened the season 2-0 with back-to-back wins over San Diego.
- The team ranks eighth in the nation in blocks per set at 3.43.
- Avie Niece leads the team with eight total blocks.
- The Huskies finished the 2017 season 25-8 and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
- Iowa is 0-1 all-time against Washington.
SCOUTING COLORADO
- No. 21-ranked Colorado enters the weekend 2-1 after defeating Oral Roberts and North Florida, while falling to Wyoming.
- Justine Spann leads the team with a .333 attack percentage. She also has 41 kills, which ranks second on the team.
- Colorado leads the all-time series 1-0.
TAKING THE TOUGH ROAD
Iowa faces eight teams currently ranked on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) week 1 poll – Minnesota (3), Nebraska (5), Penn State (6), Wisconsin (8), Illinois (11), Purdue (20), Colorado (21), Michigan (23).
LOUIS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Senior Taylor Louis became the first Hawkeye since 2001 to be named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team on August 14. Sara Meyermann was the previous preseason All-Big Ten honoree.
A transfer from Marquette, Louis was named to the AVCA All-East Coast Region Team, the All-BIG EAST first team, and was selected as an AVCA honorable mention All-American before transferring to Iowa in 2017.
In 2017, Louis led Iowa with 386 kills and had 23 double-digit kill matches. In addition, she had 12 matches with above a .300 attack percentage.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
- In 2017, Hawkeyes crushed the single-match attendance record for the second consecutive year on October 7, 2017, with 4,729 fans packing Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
- The Hawkeyes have set 13 top-20 attendance marks since head coach Bond Shymansky took the helm in 2014.
BACK-TO-BACK
- The Hawkeyes’ schedule features 11 teams that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
- The nonconference schedule includes three teams that competed at the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including Iowa State, Colorado, and Washington.
- Iowa will play all eight Big Ten NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. Those teams combined to go 206-64 in 2017.
TRUE MENTAL TOUGHNESS
The Hawkeyes continue their True Mental Toughness mantra in 2018. 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.
OUTSIDE HITTERS
- Meghan Buzzerio appeared in 21 matches with 72 digs, 54 kills, and seven blocks as a redshirt sophomore in 2017. In Big Ten play, Buzzerio had 11 kills, 22 digs, and four assists. She amassed a personal best 15 digs against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 1, 2017.
- Outside hitter Griere Hughes transferred to Iowa after one season at Arizona State. Hughes, a native of Fishers, Indiana, recorded 325 kills with a 3.22 kills per set ratio in 2017. She also recorded 80 digs and 30 total blocks.
- Taylor Louis entered her senior season as the nation’s returning kills leader with 1,534. In 2017, she played in all 33 matches with 23 double-digit kills matches and 12 matches with a kill percentage of above .300. Louis was named a preseason All-Big Ten honoree – Iowa’s first since 2001.
- Cali Hoye returns for her junior season after tallying 29 kills, 11 digs, and four blocks last season. She also set a new career high with seven kills against Wright State.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS
- Molly Kelly returns to Iowa for her senior season. Kelly appeared in 32 matches and recorded 45 assists, 15 aces, and 189 digs in 2017. Kelly has appeared in 97 matches in her Hawkeye career.
- Freshman Maddie Hine is a native of Noblesville, Indiana. Hine was a three-time team captain and team MVP during her senior season. She holds the school record for most assists in a season with 1,032. She helped her team finish fifth at the regional championships in 2017 and guided the team to their first sectional in 15 years.
- Halle Johnston starts her sophomore season after playing in 19 matches in 2017. Johnston tallied 76 digs, nine aces, and nine assists. She registered a career-high three aces against Princeton on Sept. 16.
- Junior Emily Bushman appeared in 11 matches in 2017. Bushman recorded 12 digs and one kill last season.
- Freshman Maddie Slagle comes down the road to Iowa City after playing at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Slagle was a two-time first team All-Metro honoree and team captain during her senior year. She holds the school record for career kills and tallied over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs during her career.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
- Freshman Amiya Jones played four years at Tindley in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she was a three-time All-City honoree and All-State during her junior season. Jones qualified for the USA volleyball national team following her junior season.
- Freshman Sarah Wing played four years at Marian High School in Blair, Nebraska, where she was second team All-State and All-Metro her junior season. In addition, Wing helped Marian to a 2015 state championship and a third place finish in 2016.
- Freshman Hannah Clayton joins the Hawkeye squad from Bloomington, Illinois. Clayton was named All-Conference her junior year and team captain during her senior season. Clayton was a 2015 Heart of Illinois conference champion, a runner up in 2016, and bronze medalist in 2017.
- Reghan Coyle enters her senior season after appearing in 33 matches with 182 kills, 58 blocks, and 38 digs in 2017.
SETTERS
- Brie Orr begins her sophomore season after playing in all 33 matches last season. Orr had three matches with 50 or more assists and led the team with 1,201 assists. She also chipped in 99 kills, 65 blocks, and 10 aces.
- Freshman Courtney Buzzerio comes to Iowa from Chino Hills, California, where she was a first team All-Trinity league her junior year. She was a 2016 Junior National Open bronze medalist. Her older sister, Meghan, is a redshirt junior on the team.
THE PREMIER CONFERENCE
The Big Ten Conference has had an NCAA champion in nine of the last 14 years. Eight teams – Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue, and Michigan State – appeared in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets and general admission tickets for Iowa’s 11 home matches are on sale at the UI athletics ticket office and online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets. Season tickets for reserved seating is $45 and general admission season tickets are $30.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to Iowa for their first in-state tournament and home match at the Hotel Renovo-Wildwood Lodge Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 8. The team returns to Iowa City on Sept. 9 for its home opener against Eastern Illinois at 2 p.m. (CT).
