Match Notes: at Ohio State

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa volleyball team hits the road this weekend for the second time this season for a two-game set against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. The Hawkeyes play on Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) and on Saturday 4 p.m. inside the Covelli Center.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

  • Live stats for each contest are linked on the team’s schedule page.
  • Both matches will be streamed on B1G Network+ (subscription required).
  • For live, in-game score updates, follow @IowaVolleyball on Twitter.

BUZZERIO DOING IT ALL

  • Junior Courtney Buzzerio registered her third career triple-double (13 kills, 21 assists, 11 digs) in Iowa’s five-set match against Indiana on Feb. 6.
  • Buzzerio is the only individual in the Big Ten and one of five nationally to record a triple-double this season.
  • The Chino Hills, California, native is the only Hawkeye in program history to register multiple triple-doubles in a career.
  • Buzzerio’s first career triple-double was against Nebraska (Nov. 16, 2019) last season, with her second coming two weeks later against Ohio State (Nov. 29, 2019).
  • There have only been five triple-double in the last 20 years at Iowa. Kiley Fister (2005) and Fabiana De Abreu (2000) are the other two Hawkeyes to complete the feat.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Iowa split a pair of matches with Indiana last weekend, Feb. 5-6, in the opening of Xtream Arena. The Hawkeyes topped the Hoosiers in the first match, 3-1, and dropped the second match, 3-2.
  • In the debut of Xtream Arena on Feb. 5, Iowa fell 25-20 in the first set, but won the next three sets (25-15, 26-24, and 25-17) to claim its first win of the season. The Hawkeyes set season highs in hitting percentage (.227) and blocks (17) in the victory. Junior middle blocker Hannah Clayton led the Hawkeyes, setting career highs in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.667). Clayton and Courtney Buzzerio accounted for seven of Iowa’s 17 total blocks.
  • On Feb. 6, the Hawkeyes won a back-and-forth first set, 30-28, dropped the next two sets, came back in the fourth set to earn a 25-23 win, but ultimately fell 15-13 in the fifth and final set. It was Iowa’s first five-set match of the season. Iowa was led by Buzzerio’s triple-double, followed by 13 kills from Clayton for the second straight day and 10 kills from sophomore Edina Schmidt. Sophomore libero Joslyn Boyer (21 digs) and freshman setter Bailey Ortega (29 assists) set career highs in the loss.

TUBBS FINISHES IT OFF

  • Sophomore middle blocker Grace Tubbs made her season debut late in the fourth set of Iowa’s victory over Indiana on Feb. 5. The Clinton, Iowa, native recorded her first kill of the season to give Iowa a 24-17 lead in the clinching set and served on match point for the Hawkeyes.
  • Tubbs appeared in only four games last season, registering at least one kill in three of the four.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

  • The Hawkeyes set season highs in kills (59), assists (55), aces (11), and digs (58) in Iowa’s five-set loss to Indiana.
  • Iowa attacked at a season-best .433 clip in the third set of Iowa’s win over Indiana on Feb. 5.
  • Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten in total blocks (54) and seventh in the Big Ten in blocks per set (2.4).
  • Junior Courtney Buzzerio leads Iowa with 56 kills, ranks second on the team in assists (83) and digs (47), and third with 20 total blocks.
  • Junior Hannah Clayton leads Iowa and ranks ninth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.381). Clayton registered a team-best 26 kill with a .488 hitting percentage in two games against Indiana. Clayton’s 48 kills are second best on the team.
  • Sophomore middle blocker Blythe Rients leads the team with 29 total blocks, which ranks fifth-best in the Big Ten. Clayton’s 22 blocks ranks seventh-best in the conference.
  • Sophomore libero Joslyn Boyer leads Iowa and ranks seventh in the Big Ten in total digs (72). Boyer also leads Iowa with six aces.
  • Three Hawkeyes — Buzzerio, Black and Schmidt — have at least 149 total attacks in six games this season.

FRESH FACES

  • Three freshmen — Bailey Ortega, Audrey Black and Leanne Lowry — have started in the last three matches. Ortega has started in every game this season.
  • Ortega, a Davenport North high school grad, has led Iowa in assists in five of six games to start the 2021 season. Ortega is coming off a personal-best 29 assists against Indiana on Feb. 6.
  • In Black’s first career start on Jan. 30 against No. 13 Purdue, she recorded a personal-best and team-high 10 kills. Black has registered seven kills in five straight matches and ranks third on the team with two kills per set.
  • In Lowry’s first career start on Jan. 30 at No. 13 Purdue, she tallied a personal-best and team-high 13 digs.

BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION

  • Six Big Ten teams are ranked in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, including four in the top 10: No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 8 Penn State, No. 11 Purdue, and No. 24 Michigan.
  • Seven Big Ten Schools qualified for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin was the NCAA runner-up, falling to Stanford, 3-0. Minnesota lost to Stanford, 3-0, in the NCAA Semifinals.
  • The Big Ten Conference has crowned an NCAA Champion in nine of the last 15 years and two Big Ten teams have advanced to the Final Four five straight seasons.

NEW HOME FOR IOWA VOLLEYBALL

  • Xtream Arena powered by Mediacom — the new home for the University of Iowa Volleyball team — hosted the first ever Iowa volleyball matches on Feb. 5-6 against Indiana.
  • The 5,100-seat arena is located in the Iowa River Landing in Coralville, Iowa.
  • The arena connects to the 53,000 sq. ft, five-court GreenState Family Fieldhouse.
  • Xtream Arena will also be the home arena for a newly announced ECHL hockey team in 2021-22.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  • To celebrate Black History Month, Iowa Volleyball and Iowa Athletics will be sharing stories of Black student-athletes and alumni to educate and inspire present and future generations about the diverse history in the state of Iowa.
  • Former Iowa Volleyball coach and two-time Olympian, Rita Buck-Crockett played and coached at the highest levels of volleyball. Buck-Crockett was a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic Volleyball teams, claiming a silver medal in 1984. Widely regarded as one of the best all-around volleyball players in the world, a 1984 issue of Sports Illustrated touted her as the world’s best athlete and nicknamed her “The Rocket,” because of her 42-inch vertical lead and 100 MPH kills. Buck-Crockett coached three All-Big Ten selections, including an all-region member and an All-USA Team selection, at Iowa from 1998-2003.
  • Buck-Crockett and other heroes will be spotlighted on @IowaVolleyball social media channels throughout February.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

  • Iowa’s 2021 volleyball schedule features a conference-only, 22-game slate. Iowa will face 11 of the Big Ten’s 14 teams. Four of Iowa’s opponents are ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
  • Home and away games will alternate weekends. Games will be played on Friday and Saturday, with one game (vs. Nebraska, March 17) on Wednesday.
  • Iowa’s March 17 match against Nebraska at 6 p.m. (CT) will be televised on Big Ten Network and the regular season finale at Minnesota will be televised on ESPNU at 3 p.m.
  • The NCAA Tournament will be begin April 8.
  • All dates and times are subject to change.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

  • The Hawkeyes return 10 of 15 letterwinners from last season and welcome six freshman this season.
  • Twelve of Iowa’s 16 student-athletes are underclassmen.
  • Brie Orr, Halle Johnston, and Griere Hughes opted out of the 2021 season.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE

  • Ohio State is 4-0 to start the season, with sweeps over Ohio State and Michigan State. Three of the Buckeyes’ matches have gone to five sets. Ohio State did not play in week two; there contests vs. Penn State were postponed.
  • Last season, Ohio State was 15-17 overall and 8-12 in the Big Ten. Iowa was swept by Ohio State last season, but won the previous three meetings dating back to 2017.
  • The Buckeyes are receiving votes in the latest AVCA rankings and rank top five in the Big Ten in digs per set (14.6), kills per set (13.4), and assists per set (12.2).
  • Offensively, Ohio State is led Emily Londot and Jenaisya Moore. Londot, a freshman opposite hitter from Utica, Ohio, ranks fifth in the Big Ten in kills per set (3.8) and leads the team with 69 kills. Moore, a sophomore outside hitter from Germantown, Maryland, is second on Ohio State with 54 kills.
  • Defensively, sophomore defensive specialist Kylie Murr leads Ohio State with 72 digs to rank fifth in the Big Ten with four digs per set.
  • Ohio State is coached by Jen Flynn Oldenburg, who is in her sixth season as head coach. As a player from 1996-99, Oldenburg led the Buckeyes to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and was the first conference player to be named All-Big Ten at two different positions (setter and outside hitter).

COACHING STAFF ADDITIONS

  • Iowa welcomed two new assistants to its staff after the 2019 season.
  • Dave Brown joined the Hawkeyes as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on Jan. 21, 2020. Prior to Iowa, Brown was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Loyola-Chicago where he helped the Ramblers set a single-season record for conference wins (14) and most total wins (21) since 2004 in 2019. In his first season at Loyola, Brown was one of 11 NCAA Division I women’s coaches Thirty Under 30 Award recipients from the AVCA for up-and-coming young coaches.
  • Former Hawkeye Alyssa Klostermann joined the Iowa staff as a volunteer assistant coach in December. As a three-time captain for the Hawkeyes from 2013-16, Klostermann appeared in 103 matches and finished her career No. 11 on Iowa’s all-time assists list (1,006). Klostermann recently coached club and high school volleyball in Minnesota, winning the 5AAA Minnesota state championship at Wayzata High School in 2019.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
For an inside look at the Iowa Volleyball program and access to exclusive coverage, follow @IowaVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

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