THIS WEEK
Iowa takes on No. 9 Nebraska at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CT) at Xtream Arena. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 6-18), and 5-and-under are free. The Hawkeyes then travel to Evanston, Illinois, to challenge Northwestern at 7 p.m. (CT) at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
- Both matches will be streamed live on B1G+ (subscription required).
- Live stats for each contest 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 NEBRASKA
- Head coach John Cook is in his 21st year at Nebraska.
- The Huskers are 14-3 overall, and 8-0 in conference play.
- Senior middle blocker Kayla Caffey ranks 43rd in the nation for hitting percenatge and fifth in the conference (.382).
- Nebraska ranks in the Big Ten top five for hitting percentage, assists, kills, service aces, and digs.
- Nebraska ranks sixth in the Big Ten for blocks.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
- The Wildcats are currently 8-11 overall, and 3-5 in Big Ten play.
- Head coach Shane Davis is in his fourth season.
- Junior outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara leads the Big Ten in points and ranks 25th nationally with 340.5.
- Northwestern ranks first in the Big Ten in team assists and team kills.
- The Wildcats have a hitting percentage of .225 and average 12.7 kills per set.
LEADING THE WAY
- Senior Courtney Buzzerio leads the squad with 268 kills, 4.12 kills per set, and 701 attacks.
- Senior Maddie Slagle leads the team with 195 digs.
- Sophomore Bailey Ortega has amassed a team-best 514 assists and 7.908 assists per set.
- Senior Hannah Clayton leads the team in blocks with 48.
ALL THE BUZZ
- Buzzerio ranks 34th in the nation, averaging 4.12 kills per set.
- She ranks third in the Big Ten in kills per set.
- Buzzerio ranks third in the Big Ten in points per set (4.47).
- 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 on Sept. 11.
- Iowa recorded a then-season high attacking percentage of .286.
- The Hawkeyes held Iowa State to 36 kills and 33 digs.
FRESHMEN FOCUS
- Freshman Addie VanderWeide has made 13 consecutive starts and recorded seven 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.
- Splitt made her first career start against Michigan.
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, and again against Air Force with 57 assists.
- Three Hawkeyes recorded a career high in digs. Mari Hinkle (11), Bailey Ortega (15), and Maddie Slagle (22).
RECORD BOOK UPDATE
- Clayton is in recond right behind Mikaela Gunderson (.294) for all-time hitting percentage in school history (.290). Amiya Jones ranks third with a .284 hitting percentage.
- Clayton currently ranks 12th all-time in program history with 288 career blocks. She is seven blocks away from tying Lisa Dockray for 11th.
BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION
- Six Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 15 of the AVCA Coaches Poll: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Purdue, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 12 Minnesota, and 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 the eighth toughest schedule in the nation. Iowa’s opponents have combined for a 198-107 record and a 0.649 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 13 of the 18 games this season.
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.