Hawk Talk Monthly — November | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Match Notes (PDF)
SERVE IT UP
The University of Iowa volleyball team wraps up the regular season with home competitions on Friday and Saturday against Maryland and Ohio State. Both matches are set for a 7 p.m. (CT) first serve inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the Iowa volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com/vblive.
- A live stream of both matches is available on BTN2Go (subscription required).
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.
FAREWELL SENIORS
The University of Iowa volleyball team will bid farewell to three seniors — Molly Kelly, Taylor Louis, and Reghan Coyle — before the team’s final home match against Ohio State on Saturday. Fans are invited to join the team at a senior social in the Feller Club room following the conclusion of the match.
THE SENIORS
Coyle has amassed 779 kills and 215 total blocks in 117 matches during her career. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native came to Iowa as a walk-on, earned a scholarship, and was named a team captain by the time she was a senior. Coyle ranks third on the team this season with 2.61 kills per set and 70 blocks.
Louis joined the Hawkeyes after two seasons at Marquette and made an immediate impact. Louis will finish the season as the NCAA Division I active kills leader with 1,937 career kills entering the final weekend. Louis leads Iowa with 403 kills this season, and ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 3.66 kills per set.
Kelly is another walk-on turned scholarship athlete and team captain. She enjoyed a break-out year in 2018, leading the Big Ten in total digs (565) and digs per set (5.09). Nationally, Kelly is 38th in total digs and 41st in digs per set. Earlier this season, Kelly set a school record for digs in a three-set match with 27.
BECOMING CONSISTENT
With two wins this weekend, the Hawkeyes can record their third consecutive winning season. It would be the first time Iowa has had three or more straight seasons above .500 since the Hawkeyes had five straight winning seasons from 1986-90.
KELLY LEADING THE B1G
- Senior Molly Kelly ranks among the best liberos in the conference.
- Overall, Kelly leads the Big Ten with 565 total digs and 5.11 digs per set.
- Kelly’s 5.09 digs per set are the highest in program history since the 25-point scoring format was implemented in 2008.
- Kelly’s 25 digs against Rutgers on Nov. 2 are the third most digs in a three-set match by a Big Ten player this season.
- Her 29 digs against No. 18 Michigan on Sept. 23 set a new career high.
ORR MOVES INTO 8TH ALL-TIME
- Sophomore setter Brie Orr moved into eighth in program history after recording 30 assists against No. 7 Penn State on Nov. 3.
- Orr now has 2,332 career assists.
- On Oct. 21, Orr became the ninth player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career assists with her 19th assist in the third set against Wisconsin.
- Orr leads Iowa with 1,131 assists through 29 matches.
- Orr averages 10.19 assists per set, which is eighth in the Big Ten.
- Orr recorded 1,201 assists in 2017 – the second most assists in single-season program history since the 25-point scoring format was implemented in 2008.
- Orr trails Loxley Keala by 127 assists for seventh all-time.
FOLLOW THE LEADER
Senior Taylor Louis continues to lead the country in active career kills. Louis’ 1,937 career kills leads the NCAA by 57 (Carlisa May, Arkansas State) and is 128 kills ahead of the country’s third leading player (Jaali Winters; Creighton).
In her career, Louis has 1,937 total kills, with 789 kills coming in a Hawkeye uniform.
GOING THE DISTANCE
- In 2018, Iowa has played eight matches that have lasted five sets, going 3-5 with wins over Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Syracuse, and dropping 3-2 losses to Lipscomb, Purdue twice, Indiana, and Northwestern.
- Iowa’s 111 total sets this year lead the Big Ten.
- In Iowa’s eight five-set matches, the team first to score eight points has won each match.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
- Maryland is 17-13 overall and 8-10 in the conference.
- The Terrapins are led by Big Ten kills leader Erika Pritchard, who averages 4.29 kills per set, and Katie Myers, who leads the conference with 53 service aces.
- Iowa fell to Maryland, 3-0, in the first matchup of the season on Oct. 28.
- Iowa is 4-4 all-time against Maryland.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- Ohio State enters the weekend 12-18 overall and 3-15 in Big Ten play.
- The Buckeyes are victims of 10 straight losses.
- Junior Bia Franklin ranks third in the Big Ten with 37 service aces (0.33 per set).
- Overall, Iowa is 11-60 against Ohio State and is coming off a season sweep of the Buckeyes in 2017.
HOYE JOINS ELITE COMPANY
- Junior Cali Hoye recorded her second 30-kill performance against Northwestern on Oct. 24. The other was in a win over then-No. 6 Wisconsin on Oct. 6
- Hoye reached the milestone thanks to a 13-kill second set, where she notched a .500 attack percentage (13-3-20).
- Hoye was the first player in the Big Ten this season to record a 30-kill game.
IT’S STILL A HAWKEYE STATE
- The Hawkeyes broke a 21-year old road drought Sept. 14, defeating Iowa State in four sets (25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20) at the Cyclone Classic in Ames, Iowa.
- It is the first time Iowa has won in Ames since Sept. 13, 1997.
HAWKEYES TAKE DOWN NO. 6 WISCONSIN
- The Hawkeyes defeated No. 6 Wisconsin in five sets on Oct. 6 for the team’s first win over a ranked opponent this season.
- It is Iowa’s first win over Wisconsin since Nov. 11, 2009.
- Junior Cali Hoye led Iowa with a career-high 30 kills and sophomore Brie Orr tied a career-high with 59 assists.
THESE HAWKEYES ARE HANDY WITH BROOMS
- The Hawkeyes are 7-5 this season in games that have gone three sets.
- Iowa has swept Belmont, South Dakota State, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Michigan State, and Rutgers twice.
- Iowa recorded two sweeps at the Drake Invitational on Sept. 8, defeating South Dakota State and Drake before sweeping Eastern Illinois in its home opener on Sept. 9. The last time Iowa swept three different teams in the span of two days was Sept. 19-20, 2008 (Portland, DePaul, Tulsa).
SHYMANSKY MILESTONE WATCH
- Head coach Bond Shymansky’s 77 wins at Iowa is third in program history. He passed former head coach Sharon Dingman earlier this season (66).
- Shymansky passed Rita Buck-Crockett for third on Iowa’s all-time Big Ten wins list with his 26th victory over Northwestern on Sept. 30.
- Shymansky trails Linda Shoenstedt for second in Iowa history with 85 wins and trails Sandy Stewart’s 136 wins for most in program history.
FACING THE BEST
- Iowa faces seven teams currently ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) week 10 poll – Minnesota (3), Illinois (4), Nebraska (6), Penn State (7), Wisconsin (8), Purdue (12), Michigan (18), and Washington (19)
- The Hawkeyes’ schedule features 11 teams that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
- The nonconference schedule included 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.
