24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — September | Cyclone Classic (PDF)
SERVE IT UP
The University of Iowa volleyball team travels to Ames, Iowa, this weekend for the Cyclone Classic. Iowa faces Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk series on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) before bouts against Wyoming and Syracuse on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. For more information on traveling to Ames, Iowa, for the Cyclone Classic click HERE.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the Iowa volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com/vblive.
- Live audio of the Iowa State match will be available via hawkeyesports.com. The Iowa State match can be heard locally on AM 800 KXIC.
- Live video of the Cyclone Classic will be streamed through Cyclones.TV. (Subscription required)
CY-HAWK SERIES
- The Hawkeyes and Cyclones are set to play each other for the 50th time on Friday.
- Iowa has won 22, while Iowa State has taken 27 matches.
- Iowa last defeated Iowa State on Sept. 11, 2015 inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in four sets (17-25, 25-17, 22-18, 28-26).
- The last time the Hawkeyes beat the Cyclones in Ames was Sept. 13, 1997.
- This is the third event in the 2018-19 Cy-Hawk Series. Iowa leads Iowa State 3-2 with a win in football and loss in soccer.
IT’S BEEN A BATTLE
- Over the last five seasons, Iowa is 1-4 against Iowa State.
- In the 19 sets the teams have played since 2013, eight have been decided by three points or less.
- Iowa and Iowa State have gone five sets in one match (2013), four sets in two matches (2015, 2017), and three sets in two matches (2014, 2016).
SCOUTING IOWA STATE
- Iowa State enters the Cyclone Classic with a 6-4 record and has lost three of its last four matches.
- The Cyclones rank 12th in the NCAA with 2.83 blocks per set.
- Iowa is 22-27 all-time against Iowa State.
- Iowa’s most recent victory came in 2015 in four sets (17-25, 25-17, 25-18, 28-26)
- The Cyclones are receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll and are the first team not ranked.
LAST MEETING
- In 2017, Iowa fell to Iowa State in four sets (19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 28-30).
- Taylor Louis led Iowa with 16 kills.
- Brie Orr added 49 assists and 16 digs.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
The Hawkeyes completed three sweeps over the weekend, defeating South Dakota State and Drake on Saturday and Eastern Illinois on Sunday. The last time Iowa swept three different teams in the span of two days was Sept. 19-20, 2008 (Portland, DePaul, Tulsa).
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 career kills. Louis’ 1,643 career kills leads the NCAA by 112 (Jaali Winters; Creighton) and is 168 kills ahead of the country’s third leading player (Carlisa May, Arkansas State).
- Louis ranks first in the Big Ten with 4.36 kills per set and is third in the Big Ten this season with 126 total kills.
- Louis’s 4.36 kills per set places her 29th in the NCAA and her 4.74 points per set is good for 33rd.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Iowa’s defense has been ranked among the best in the country in 2018.
- The Hawkeyes are 15th nationally in blocks per set with 2.81.
- Individually, freshman Hannah Clayton’s defense has placed herself in the top 50 nationally in total blocks. Clayton has tallied 38 total blocks through eight matches to rank 41st in the NCAA in blocks per set (1.35).
- Clayton ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 38 total blocks and anchors an Iowa defense that is eighth in the conference in blocks per set with 2.80.
- Freshman Amiya Jones recorded a season-high seven blocks in a win over Drake on Sept. 8.
- As a team, Iowa is fourth in the Big Ten with 143 total blocks.
DIGGING FOR GOLD
- Senior Molly Kelly has started at libero for the Hawkeyes during the first three weeks of competition.
- Kelly’s 152 digs is tied for first in the Big Ten and her 5.24 digs per set is third in the conference.
- Nationally, Kelly is 35th in digs per set.
- Kelly tied her career-high with 24 digs in a win over Drake on Sept. 8. Kelly added four assists and two aces to her stat line.
ORR ROWING THE BOAT
- 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 a single season in program history since the 25-point scoring format was implemented in 2008.
- Orr ranks ninth all-time in career assists (1,489), trailing Jitka Stehnova (2,159) for eighth all-time.
- Orr leads Iowa with 288 assists through eight matches and averages 9.93 assists per set.
COYLE’S EFFICIENCY
- Senior Reghan Coyle leads Iowa in hitting percentage after eight matches.
- Coyle has registered a .391 (80-156) attack percentage and ranks 10th in the Big Ten and 80th in the nation.
- In Iowa’s last three matches, Coyle averaged a .433 hitting percentage, hitting 29-54.
FRESHMEN PLAYING TIME
- After three 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 29 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 31. She reached a career-high with seven blocks in a win over Drake on Sept. 8.
- Clayton, a middle blocker, hails from Bloomington, Illinois. She leads the team in total blocks with 38 and ranks 41st nationally.
- Slagle, a defensive specialists from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is tied for fourth on the team in service aces with three.
SCOUTING WYOMING
- Wyoming holds a 8-1 record with its lone loss coming at Portland in five sets.
- Wyoming ranks third and fourth in the country in blocks per set (3.11) and hitting percentage (.306)
- Iowa and Wyoming have never faced each other.
SCOUTING SYRACUSE
- Syracuse holds a 2-3 record and is riding a three-match losing streak.
- The Orange are eigth in the nation in blocks per set (2.90).
- Iowa leads the all-time series 1-0 after defeating Syracuse in five sets in 2012.
SHYMANSKY APPROACHING WINS MILESTONES
- Head coach Bond Shymansky’s 68 wins at Iowa moved him into third in program history, surpassing Sharon Dingman (66).
- Shymansky trails Linda Shoenstedt for second in Iowa history with 84 wins and trails Sandy Stewart’s 136 wins for most in program history.
ATTENDANCE RECORD
- The 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
- Iowa faces eight teams currently ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) week 4 poll – Nebraska (4), Penn State (5), Wisconsin (6), Minnesota (7), Illinois (8), Washington (13), Purdue (15), Michigan (19).
- 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 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 open their Big Ten schedule on Friday, Sept. 21, against Michigan State at 7 p.m. (CT) and Sunday, Sept. 23, against No. 19 Michigan at 2 p.m. inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Live results and video of the matches will be available on the team’s schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
