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VB Notebook: at Oklahoma InvitationalVB Notebook: at Oklahoma Invitational
Volleyball

VB Notebook: at Oklahoma Invitational

University of Iowa volleyball opens its season in Norman, Oklahoma at the Oklahoma Invitational. The Hawkeyes face Gonzaga and Florida International on Friday at noon (CT) and 5 p.m. (CT), respectively, and Oklahoma on Saturday at 5 p.m. inside McCasland Field House.

OPPONENT Iowa (0-0, 0-0) vs. Gonzaga (0-0, 0-0)
LOCATION Norman, Okla. (McCasland Field House)
DATE Friday, Aug. 26
FIRST SERVE noon (CT)

 

OPPONENT Iowa (0-0, 0-0) vs. Florida International (0-0, 0-0)
LOCATION Norman, Okla. (McCasland Field House)
DATE Friday, Aug. 26
TIP-OFF 5 p.m. (CT)

 

OPPONENT Iowa (0-0, 0-0) at Oklahoma (1-0, 0-0)
LOCATION Norman, Okla. (McCasland Field House)
DATE Saturday, Aug. 27
TIP-OFF 5 p.m. (CT)
TV ESPN+
The Setting

The Setting

  • University of Iowa volleyball opens its season in Norman, Oklahoma at the Oklahoma Invitational. The Hawkeyes face Gonzaga and Florida International on Friday at noon (CT) and 5 p.m. (CT), respectively, and Oklahoma on Saturday at 5 p.m. inside McCasland Field House.

     

    Live stats for each contest can be found on the team’s schedule page at hawkeyesports.com. A live stream of Iowa’s match against Oklahoma is available on ESPN+ (subscription required).

     

    TV: Saturday’s contest will stream live on ESPN+.

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SCOUTING GONZAGA

  • Gonzaga is lead by new head coach Katie Wilson, entering her first season after being an Associate Head Coach at Notre Dame since 2018.
  • The team consists of four freshman, one sophomore, five juniors, six seniors and two graduate students.
  • The Bulldogs welcomed one transfer, middle blocker Kelsie White from Montana State.
  • Outside hitter Kennedy Croft led the Bulldogs in kills last season, registering 261.
  • Junior setter Keau Kamake’eaina tallied the most assists in 2021 with 615.
  • Senior defensive specialist Viktoriya Ivnova lead the squad last season in digs with 265.

SCOUTING FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

  • Panthers head coach Cristina Robertson enters her first year as head coach this season. Robertson comes from four years as the head coach of UMBC, leading the Retrievers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
  • The squad has three freshmen, three sophomores, six juniors, four seniors and two graduate students.
  • The team welcomes 12 transfers, two following Robertson from UMBC. These two include junior middle blocker Beste Ayhan and sophomore outside hitter Kira Givans.
  • Senior setter Camila De La Rosa led the Panthers in assists last season with 454.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA

  • Oklahoma is coached by Lindsey Gray-Walton who is entering her fifth season at the helm of the program. Gray-Walton led the Sooners to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019.
  • The team consists of six freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors, one senior and two graduate students.
  • The Sooners welcomed two transfers — graduate student middle blocker Adria Oliver from Cincinnati and sophomore setter Payton Chamberlain from Wyoming.
  • Sophomore outside hitter Megan Wilson led the squad last season in kills with 392.
  • Sophomore setter Peyton Dunn led the team in assists last season with 997.
  • Sophomore libero Callie Kemohah led the Sooners in digs last season with 436.
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TRANSFERS

  • The Hawkeyes added nine student-athletes to the team this season, including seven transfers and two freshmen.
  • Delaney McSweeny comes home to Iowa from Wake Forest. The 6-7 middle hitter is a junior 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.

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.

SOPHOMORE SPOTLIGHT

  • Sophomore Addie VanderWeide made 27 consecutive starts to end her freshman 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.
  • Sophomore Toyosi Onabanjo made her first two starts in the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament.
  • Onabanjo recorded five kills and four blocks in both matches. 

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. 

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.