THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes host Michigan State on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT). The match is Breast Cancer Awareness Night. Iowa takes on Michigan the following night on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CT). Both matches will be played at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 6-18), and 5 and under are free.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
- Both matches will be streamed live on B1G+ (subscription required).
- Live stats for each contest if available can be found on the team’s schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
- John Evans will have the radio call, which can be found on the Hawkeye Radio Network YouTube page.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
- Head coach Cathy George is in her 17th season at Michigan State.
- The Spartans are 7-4 overall, and 0-2 in conference play. Their conference losses coming to Indiana and Michigan.
- Michigan State’s current hitting percentage is .235.
- Sophomore setter Celia Cullen is their assist leader with 313. Redshirt junior DS/L Talia Edmods has a team best 143 digs.
- Redshirt freshman OH Sarah Franklin has notched 134 kills and 21 solo blocks.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
- The Wolverines are currently 8-3, overall, and 1-1 in Big Ten play. Their conference win is against Michigan State and their loss came to No. 9 Minnesota. Michigan will play at No. 12 Nebraska Friday before traveling to Iowa City.
- Head coach Mark Rosen is in his 23rd season leading Michigan.
- Sophomore setter Scottee Johnson has totaled 405 assists.
- Senior OH Paige Jones has 148 kills while sophomore OH Jess Mruzik has 142 kills.
- The Wolverines have a hitting percentage of .258.
LEADING THE WAY
- Senior Courtney Buzzerio leads the squad with 219 kills, 4.66 kills per set, and 549 attacks.
- Senior Maddie Slagle leads the team with 150 digs.
- Sophomore Bailey Ortega has amassed a team-best 430 assists and 9.149 assists per set.
- Senior Hannah Clayton leads the team in blocks with 24.
ALL THE BUZZ
- Buzzerio ranks 14th in the nation, averaging 4.66 kills per set.
- She ranks second in the Big Ten in kills per set.
- Buzzerio ranks second in the Big Ten in points per set (5.07).
- Buzzerio ranks first in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation with 219 kills.
- Buzzerio’s outstanding play last season earned her an AVCA All-North Region Honorable Mention selection and first-team All-Big Ten honors, becoming the first Hawkeye to earn those postseason honors since Sara Meyermann in 2001. She is only the fifth All-Region selection in program history and eighth first-team all-conference honoree.
- She claimed her third career triple-double (13 kills, 21 assists, 11 digs) in Iowa’s five-set match against Indiana on Feb. 6, becoming the only individual in the Big Ten and one of 23 nationally to record a triple-double last season. She 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), with her second coming two weeks later against Ohio State (Nov. 29, 2019). There have only been five triple-doubles in the last 20 years at Iowa. Kiley Fister (2005) and Fabiana De Abreu (2000) are the other two Hawkeyes to complete the feat.
CY-HAWK VICTORY
- The Hawkeyes put together an impressive three sets to defeat in-state rival Iowa State in straight sets.
- Iowa recorded a then-season high attacking percentage of .286.
- The Hawkeyes held Iowa State to 36 kills and 33 digs.
FRESHMAN FOCUS
- Freshman Addie VanderWeide has made nine consecutive starts and recorded four double-digit kill matches.
- VanderWeide recorded a career-high .471 hitting percentage against No. 11 Washington and career high and team-leading 23 digs against Ball State.
- Freshman Toyosi Onabanjo made her first two starts in the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament.
- Onabanjo recorded five kills and four blocks in both matches.
- Freshman Jenna Splitt made her first two appearances against Illinois and Nebraska. She had 36 assists across both matches.
CAREER DAY
- Multiple Hawkeyes set career highs against Duke to open the season.
- Buzzerio recorded a career-high 28 kills against the Blue Devils, tied for 13th most in a single game in school history. The last Hawkeye to record at least 25 kills was her sister Meghan Buzzerio in 2019.
- Sophomore Bailey Ortega recorded a career-high 45 assists. She surpassed that against Ball State recording 49 assists.
- Three Hawkeyes recorded a career high in digs. Mari Hinkle (11), Bailey Ortega (15), and Maddie Slagle (22).
RECORD BOOK UPDATE
- Clayton ranks second all-time in school history with a .292 hit-ting percentage, while Amiya Jones ranks fifth with a .287 hitting percentage.
- Clayton currently ranks 15th all-time in program history with 270 career blocks. She is one block away from tying Lana Kuiper for 14th.
BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION
- Six Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA Coaches Poll: No. 4 Purdue, No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 12 Nebraska, No. 14 Penn State.
- The Big Ten Conference has crowned an NCAA Champion in nine of the last 15 years and at least one Big Ten team has advanced to the Final Four in six straight seasons.
PLAYING THE BEST
- The Hawkeyes have played the eighth toughest schedule, according to past opposition win percentage.
- Iowa’s opponents have combined for a 96-42 record and a 0.696 win percentage.
20 KILLS
- Buzzerio has recorded 20 kills in four matches this season. (Duke, Ball State, Air Force, and Illinois).
- She has recorded double digit kills in all 12 games the Hawkeyes have played.
XTREAM DIGS
- The Hawkeyes finally welcomed fans to Xtream Arena for the first time as they faced Syracuse in the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament on Sept. 9, 2021.