Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Hawk Talk Monthly — September | Match Notes (PDF)
SERVE IT UP
The Hawkeyes travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Tournament, where the Hawkeyes face South Dakota State and Drake on Saturday before hosting Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the Iowa volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
- Live audio of the match against Eastern Illinois will be available via Hawkeye All-Access on hawkeyesports.com.
- A live stream of Iowa’s match against Eastern Illinois will be available through FloVolleyball (subscription required).
PROMOTIONS
The Hawkeyes’ home opener against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 9 will serve as Camper Reunion Day and Sundaes on Sunday. Ice cream is available for $1.
TAKE ME HOME
Iowa hosts the first of its 11 home matches on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT) against Eastern Illinois. Under head coach Bond Shymansky, the Hawkeyes are 33-27 at home, including five home wins against ranked opponents – the most recent was against No. 22 Michigan on Oct. 4, 2017.
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.
FOLLOW THE LEADER
- Senior Taylor Louis continues to pace the country in kills. Louis’ 1,621 career kills leads the NCAA by 141 (Jaali Winters; Creighton) and is 203 kills ahead of the country’s third leading player (Irem Asci; Temple).
- Louis ranks third in the Big Ten this season with 87 total kills. She is fourth in the conference with 4.35 kills per set.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
- Freshman Hannah Clayton’s impact is already being felt on Iowa’s defense. Clayton has tallied 28 total blocks through five matches to rank 37th in the NCAA in blocks per set with 1.40.
- Clayton ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 28 total blocks and anchors an Iowa defense that is sixth in blocks per set with 2.8The 0.
- Iowa is one of five Big Ten teams to tally over 100 blocks after the first two weekends of competition.
CAN YOU DIG IT?
- Senior Molly Kelly has started at libero for the Hawkeyes during the first two weeks of competition.
- Kelly’s 96 digs ranks third in the Big Ten and her 4.80 digs per set ranks fourth in the conference and 70th in the nation.
- Kelly had back-to-back career-high performances against SMU and Lipscomb on August 25-26. 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.
FRESHMEN PLAYING TIME
- After two weeks of play, four freshmen have seen extended playing time – Courtney Buzzerio, Amiya Jones, Hannah Clayton, and Maddie Slagle. All four have played in every match this season.
- Buzzerio, a native of Chino Hills, California, ranks third on the team with 20 assists and chipped in a career-high eight assists against No. 13 Washington on Aug. 31.
- Jones, a middle blocker from Indianapolis, is second on the team in total blocks with 19. She reached a career-high with five kills against No. 21 Colorado on Sept. 1.
- Clayton, a middle blocker, hails from Bloomington, Illinois. She leads the team in total blocks with 28 and ranks 37th nationally.
- Slagle, a defensive specialists from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is tied for second on the team in service aces after notching two in a 3-0 win over Belmont on Aug. 26.
SCOUTING DRAKE
- Drake has opened the 2018 season with a 6-0 record.
- The Bulldogs have only dropped one set this season (Holy Cross).
- Drake enters the weekend ranked fifth in the NCAA in blocks per set (3.18) and second in opponent hitting percentage (.074).
- Iowa is 23-13-1 all-time against Drake.
- Iowa defeated Drake, 3-0, in the team’s most recent matchup in 2015.
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
- South Dakota State has started the season 0-6.
- The Jackrabbitts rank 34th in the country in team attacks per set with 37.48.
- Iowa holds a 5-0 series lead on South Dakota State with the most recent match coming in 2015 in Iowa City.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS
- Eastern Illinois will enter Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a 2-5 record.
- The Panthers rank 21st in the country in attacks per set (38.67) and 54th in digs per set (16.63).
- Laurel Bailey leads the team with 2.95 kills per set.
- The Hawkeyes hold a 6-2 series advantage over the Panthers.
- Iowa defeated Eastern Illinois, 3-0, in its last matchup in 2014.
ORR FOLLOWING UP PRODUCTIVE FIRST YEAR
- Sophomore setter Brie Orr returns to Iowa as the team’s premier setter after recording 1,201 assists in 2017 – the second most assists in program history since the 25-point scoring format was implemented in 2008.
- Orr ranks ninth all-time in career assists, trailing Jitka Stehnova (2,159) for eighth all-time.
COYLE MOVING UP THE LEADERBOARDS
- Senior Reghan Coyle has been moving up the Big Ten leaderboards in hitting percentage after two weeks of competition.
- Coyle ranks 10th in the conference with a .382 (40-79) hitting percentage.
SHYMANSKY APPROACHING WINS MILESTONES
- Head coach Bond Shymansky’s 65 wins at Iowa places fourth in school history behind former head coach Sharon Dingman.
- One more win for Shymansky would tie Dingman for third in school history with 66 wins. Linda Shoenstedt ranks second in Iowa history with 84 wins and trails Sandy Stewart’s 136 wins for most in program history.
TAKING THE TOUGH ROAD
Iowa faces nine teams currently ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) week 3 poll – Minnesota (1), Wisconsin (2), Penn State (5), Nebraska (7), Illinois (11), Washington (12), Purdue (19), Michigan (20), Colorado (24).
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.
FACING THE BEST
- 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.
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.
BIG TEN NETWORK
Iowa plays on the Big Ten Network twice in 2018. The Hawkeyes’ first game on the network is on Oct. 3 at Nebraska at 6 p.m. (CT). Northwestern will visit Iowa City on Oct. 24 for the second televised game of the season at 8 p.m.
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 travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Cyclone Classic Sept. 14-15.Iowa will face off against Iowa State, Wyoming, and Syracuse. Live results of the match will be available on hawkeyesports.com/vblive.
