IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa volleyball hosts the Black & Gold Scrimmage on Saturday, August 20 at Xtream Arena. The scrimmage begins at 5 p.m.
2021 SEASON RECAP
- The University of Iowa volleyball team completed the 2021 season, going 6-24 overall and 4-16 in the Big Ten, with wins over Iowa State, Incarnate Word, Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers.
- Iowa was 3-10 at home, including a 3-8 record at Xtream Arena in the first season that fans were allowed in the new venue. Iowa had two wins on the road and one at a neutral site.
- The Hawkeyes dropped all nine matches against ranked opponents.
LEADING THE WAY
- Junior libero Mari Hinkle led the team with 336 digs.
- Sophomore Bailey Ortega amassed a team-best 838 assists and 7.83 assists per set.
RECORD BOOK UPDATE
- Senior Amiya Jones finished her Hawkeye career ranked first in program history in attacking percentage (.296).
- Ortega is ranked 10th in all-time assists with 1,225.
SOPHOMORE SPOTLIGHT
- Freshman Addie VanderWeide made 27 consecutive starts to end the season and recorded 12 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.
ON THE COURT & IN THE CLASSROOM
- The Hawkeyes set a new program record with 11 Academic All-Big Ten selections. The previous record was set last year.
- The 11 included returners Audrey Black (Open Major), Amiya Jones (Social Work), Bailey Ortega (Sport and Recreation Management), and Edina Schmidt (Health and Human Physiology).
- Two Hawkeyes were named to the Deans List for the Spring Semester: Anna Davis and Michelle Urquhart.
BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION
- Six Big Ten teams finished the season ranked in the top 20 of the final AVCA Coaches Poll: No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 6 Purdue, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 11 Ohio State, and No. 17 Penn State.
- The Big Ten Conference has crowned an NCAA Champion in 10 of the last 16 years and at least one Big Ten team has advanced to the Final Four in seven straight seasons.
EVERY SET, EVERY MATCH
- Hinkle and Ortega appeared in every set for the Hawkeyes in 2021.
TRANSFERS
- The Hawkeyes added nine new additions to the team this season, including seven transfers and two freshman.
- Delaney McSweeney comes home to Iowa from Wake Forest. The 6-7 Middle Hitter will be a junior this fall, and is originally from Center Point, Iowa.
- Jacqlyn Caspers is also coming home to Iowa from Kent State. The Redshirt Senior stands at 6-5 as a Middle Hitter and is originally from Swaledale, Iowa.
- Lily Tessier joins the squad from Florida State. Tessier stands at 6-3 as a Setter, classifying as a Redshirt Senior. Tessier calls Fort Meyers, Florida home.
- Anna Davis comes to the Hawkeyes with Coach Barnes from Tulane. Davis, a 6-1 Middle Hitter is entering her junior year. Davis hails from Castle Rock, Colorado.
- Michelle Urquhart joins Iowa alongside Davis and Coach Barnes from Tulane. The 6 foot Outside Hitter will be an incoming sophomore, hailing from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
- Amanda Darling transferred into Iowa from Niagara. The junior is a 5-3 libero from Oswego, Illinois.
- Madi Wahrmund steps into Iowa from Lafayette. The middle hitter stands at 6-1 and will be a Graduate Student. Wahrmund calls Fredericksburg, Texas home.
XTREAM HOME MAKEOVER
- 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.
- The Hawkeyes ranked 30th in the nation in attendance last season.
SETTER SPOTLIGHT
- Redshirt Senior Lily Tessier, a 6-3 setter, spent four seasons with the Florida State Seminoles before entering the transfer portal.
- “Lily is an elite level, experienced setter,” said Coach Barnes. “She is a great communicator, teammate, and leader as well. Here ability to run the offense from well above the net will make her one of the most feared setters in the Big Ten.”
- A Fort Myers, Florida native, Tessier appeared in 73 matches for Florida State totaling 1,765 assists (7.29 per set).
- She has 36 career aces and 464 digs.
- Tessier ranks 11th all-time at FSU in assists per set and 14th in career assists.
- She is a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
- Tessier was a four-year starter at Evangelical Christian High School. In 336 career sets, she recorded 185 aces, 600 digs, 376 kills, and 2,282 assists (6.8 per set).
- She was named to the 2014 AAU All-American Team and the 2015 News-Press All-Area second team.
- Tessier was named a finalist for the 2016 New-Press All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year award.
JIM BARNES NAMED IOWA VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH
- The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced on Dec. 28, the hiring of Jim Barnes as the new head coach of the Hawkeye volleyball program. Barnes is the 11th head coach of the program.
- In his 24 years as a head coach, Barnes has a career record of 455-345 (.569), and nine 20-plus win seasons. He has put together six top-20 recruiting classes and made four appearances in postseason tournaments, including a program first NCAA Sweet 16 run.
- Barnes arrives in Iowa City after spending six seasons (2016-21) as head coach of Tulane volleyball program. Before Tulane, Barnes spent 11 seasons as the head coach at Baylor (2004-15), and two seasons at Wyoming (2002-04). Barnes was the head coach at Lamar from 1996-200. Barnes got his coaching start at his alma mater of McNeese State, where he spent six years as an assistant coach.
