| OPPONENT | Iowa (8-19, 2-14) vs. Nebraska (22-3, 14-2) |
| LOCATION | Iowa City, Iowa (Xtream Arena) |
| DATE | Friday, Nov. 16 |
| FIRST SERVE | 6 p.m. (CT) |
| PROMOTION | BLACK OUT |
| OPPONENT | Iowa (7-18, 1-13) vs. Illinois (13-13, 8-8) |
| LOCATION | Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall) |
| DATE | Sunday, Nov. 20 |
| FIRST SERVE | 1 p.m. (CT) |
The Setting
University of Iowa volleyball hosts the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) inside the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The Hawkeyes then travel to Champaign, Illinois, to take on the the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT) inside Hull Hall.
Fans are encouraged to wear black on Friday as we Black Out Xtream Arena.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
- Both matches will be available on B1G+ (subscription required).
- John Evans will be on the call on Hawkeye Radio Network (YouTube) for the Nebraska match.
SCOUTING NO. 6 NEBRASKA
- John Cook enters his 23rd season at the helm of the Huskers.
- Nebraska is currently 22-3 overall, and 14-2 in conference play. The Huskers conference losses coming from No. 5 Wisconsin, 0-3, and No. 5 5 Ohio State, 1-3.
- This will be the second time the teams meet this season. The teams played in Lincol, Nebraska on November 11th, with Nebraska winning, 3-0.
- The Huskers lead the conference in match win-loss percentage (.880), and digs per set (15.21).
- Senior outside hitter Madi Kubik ranks 12th in the Big Ten in attacks per set (3.18), and leads the team in kills (245).
- Sophomore libero Lexi Rodriguez is fourth in the conference in digs per set (4.15), and ninth in total digs (349).
- Senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord is first nationally and first in the Big Ten in blocks per set (1.63). Hord also ranks third in conference in total blocks and 14th nationally (126).
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
- Caitlin Schweihofer enters his sixth season at the helm of the Fighting Illini.
- Illinois is currently 8-8 in conference play.
- This will be the first and only meeting between the teams this season.
- Illinois is third in conference in aces per set (1.72) and team service aces (163).
- Junior outside hitter Raina Terry leads the conference in aces per set (.43), she is second in service aces (41), third in attacks per set (10.60), points (462), points per set (4.86), total kills (392), and is fourth in kills per set (4.13).
- Redshirt senior setter Diana Brown is second in the conference in total assists with 985.
- Sophomore libero Caroline Barnes is 11th in the Big Ten in total digs with 338.
THAT’S A B1G WIN
- Iowa Picked up its second Big Ten win of the season on Nov. 13 over Rutgers, 3-0.
- Junior middle hitter Delaney McSweeney recorded a .643 clip, while sophomore Michelle Urquhart registered 11 kills to lead the team to victory over the Scarlet Knights.
- 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 4.10 digs per set which is sixth in the conference. She is third in the conference in total digs registering 394 thus far.
- Against Drake, Hinkle recorded a career-high 34 digs.
- Senior middle hitter Amiya Jones is ranked fourth in the conference for total aces (36). Jones is seventh in the Big Ten for aces per set (.38).
AJ’S ACES
- Senior middle hitter Amiya Jones has totaled 36 aces this season, leading the team.
- Jones ranks fourth in the Big Ten in service aces (36) and seventh in aces per set (.43).
- Jones set her career high of seven aces at Indiana (Oct. 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, six teams are ranked within the top 25 — No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 14 Penn State, and No. 19 Purdue.