VB Notebook: vs. No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 14 Penn State

VB Notebook: vs. No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 14 Penn State

OPPONENT Iowa (7-10, 1-5) vs. No. 5 Wisconsin (11-3, 5-1)
LOCATION Coralville, Iowa (Xtream Arena)
DATE Friday, Oct. 14
FIRST SERVE 6 p.m. (CT)

 

OPPONENT Iowa (7-10, 1-5) vs. No. 14 Penn State (14-3, 3-3)
LOCATION Coralville, Iowa (Xtream Arena)
DATE Saturday, Oct. 15
FIRST SERVE 7 p.m. (CT)

The Setting

University of Iowa volleyball hosts the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) and on Saturday, the Hawkeyes host the No. 14 Penn State Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.

 

Live stats for the matches can be found on the team’s schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.

 

TV: The match will live stream on B1G+. A subscription is required.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN

  • Kelly Sheffield enters his tenth season at the helm of the Badgers.
  • Wisconsin is currently 5-1 in the Big Ten. Its loss coming from No. 8 Minnesota.
  • The Badgers rank second in the Big Ten in blocks per set (2.98) and third in aces per set (1.85).
  • Fifth year middle blocker Danielle Hart ranks second in the conference in blocks per set (1.71), and sixth in total blocks (65).
  • Freshman libero Gulce Guctekin ranks 11th in the Big Ten in total digs (174). She also leads the team in service aces with 22.
  • Senior setter Izzy Ashburn leads the team in assists with 302. 

SCOUTING PENN STATE

  • Katie Schumacher-Cawley enters her first season at the helm of the Nittany Lions. A former Nittany Lion herself, Schumacher-Cawley helped lead the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA championship.
  • Penn State is currently 3-3 in the Big Ten. Their losses come from Michigan, No. 8 Wisconsin, and No. 6 Ohio State.
  • The Nittany Lions rank second in the conference in team total blocks (155) and third in blocks per set (2.92).
  • Junior middle blocker Allie Holland ranks third in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.48), sixth in hitting percentage (.327), and eighth in total blocks (62).
  • Junior libero Maddy Bilinovic ranks seventh in the conference in total digs (198).
  • Graduate student outside hitter Kashauna Williams ranks 12th in the conference in kills per set (3.17). She leads the team in kills (187).
  • Graduate student setter Seleisa Elisaia ranks fifth in both assists per set (9.96) and total assists (528). 

THAT’S A B1G WIN

  • The Hawkeyes picked up their first Big Ten win of the season over Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 8. Iowa defeated the Hoosiers,3-2.
  • Senior middle hitter Amiya Jones led the Hawkeyes with 17 kills, while junior middle hitter Delaney McSweeney followed with 15 on the afternoon.
  • Redshirt senior Lily Tessier assisted 27 kills, while junior setter Bailey Ortega assisted 20.
  • As a team, Iowa tallies seven service aces led by Jones and sophomore outside hitter Toyosi Onabanjo with two apiece.

B1G LEADERS

  • Senior libero Mari Hinkle averages 4.52 digs per set which leads the conference. She also leads in the conference in total digs registering 253 thus far. 
  • Against Drake, Hinkle recorded a career-high 34 digs. 
  • Senior middle hitter Amiya Jones is ranked second in the conference for total aces (27) and second for aces per set (.47).
  • Redshirt Senior setter Lily Tessier is ranked eighth in the Big Ten in total assists (448). 

AJ’S ACES

  • Senior middle hitter Amiya Jones has totaled 29 aces this season, leading the team.
  • Jones ranks second in the Big Ten in service aces (29) and and fourth in aces per set (.47).
  • Jones set her career high of seven aces at Indiana (October 26, 2019), and has matched the seven aces twice this season against UNI and Purdue.

BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION

  • Six Big Ten teams finished the season ranked in the final top 20 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.
  • This season seven teams are ranked within the top 25 — No. 3 Nebraska,  No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 9 Purdue, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 14 Penn State and No. 24 Michigan.