| OPPONENT | Iowa (8-6, 0-0) at Indiana (11-4, 1-1) |
| LOCATION | Bloomington, Ind. (Wilkinson Hall) |
| DATE | Friday, Sept. 29 |
| FIRST SERVE | 6 p.m. (CT) on B1G+ |
| OPPONENT | Iowa (8-6, 0-0) vs. Illinois (6-6, 1-1) |
| LOCATION | Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall) |
| DATE | Saturday, Sept. 30 |
| FIRST SERVE | 6 p.m. (CT) on B1G+ |
The Hawkeyes head to Bloomington to play Indiana on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Wilkinson Hall. The Hawkeyes then travel to Champaign to take on Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Huff Hall.
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).
- Both matches will be available through the Hawkeye Radio Network (YouTube) with John Evans on the call.
SCOUTING INDIANA
- Steve Aird is in his sixth season at the helm of the Hooisers.
- Indiana is currently 1-1 in conference play, winning their first Big Ten match against Illinois, 3-1, and dropping their second match against No. 1 Wisconsin, 0-3.
- Junior setter Camryn Haworth leads the conference in assists (489) and aces (36, 1st nationally).
- Indiana’s leading blocker is graduate student middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg with 52.
- The Hoosiers returned six starters, along with welcoming three freshmen and one transfer from Cincinnati, sophomore outside hitter Avry Tatum.
- Indiana finished 16-16 overall in 2022 and 9-11 in Big Ten ball.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
- Chris Tamas enters his seventh season at the helm of the Fighting Illini.
- Illinois’ is currently 1-1 in conference play. The first match was a loss against Indiana, 1-3, and the second was a win against Michigan State, 3-2.
- Senior outside hitter Raina Terry leads the Big Ten in the five different catagories; attacks per set (12.73, 4th nationally), points (260.5, 9th nationally), points per set (5.32, 7th nationally), total attacks (624, 8th nationally), and total kills (229, 9th nationally).
- The squad returns nine athletes, the only transfer added was defensive specialist/libero Vanessa Pan from Columbia, where she led in digs and aces last season.
- The Fighting Illini finished 15-15 overall and 10-10 in Big Ten play last season.
2023 UPDATE
- Iowa is 8-6 on the season, coming off a two losses against ranked opponents in conference play. This included No. 12 Minnesota, 2-3, and No. 21 Ohio State, 0-3.
- Fifth year Caitlan Buettner ranks second in the Big Ten in total attacks (487) and 20th nationally.
- Junior Michelle Urquhart currently ranks second in the conference in service aces (24) and ranks 16 across the country.
- Redshirt sophomore Sydney Dennis currently leads the league in digs (173) and ranks 104th nationally.
- Iowa leads the Big Ten in six categories: digs per set (15.36, 61st in NCAA), team assists (612, 74th in NCAA), team attacks per set (35.02, 92nd in NCAA), team digs (814, 53rd in NCAA), team kills (667, 72nd nationally), and team total attacks (1856, 69th nationally).
- The Hawkeyes’ roster includes student-athletes from Colorado (2), Connecticut, Illinois (2), Iowa (6), Nebraska, New York, Texas (2), Virginia, Wisconsin, and New Zealand.
- The 2023 squad highlights five seniors, three juniors, four sophomores, and six freshmen. Nine student-athletes are new to Iowa this season, including three transfers.
HAWKEYE FAST FACTS
- Iowa has had three athletes play in every set (53) so far this season; Michelle Urquhart, Delaney McSweeney, and Bailey Ortega.
- 10 Hawkeyes have tallied at least one ace, but only four are in double digits; Michelle Urquhart (30), Sydney Dennis (11), Caitlan Buettner (11), and Anna Davis (10).
- Three athletes have registered enough digs to put them in triple digits; Sydney Dennis (194), Caitlan Buettner (135), and Michelle Urquhart (133).
- The Hawkeyes are 3-2 on the road and 5-4 at home.
HAWKEYE TRANSFERS
- Caitlan Buettner comes to Iowa from Texas State. The 6-2 outside hitter is a fifth year from El Paso, Texas.
- Maddy Hanson came to the Hawkeyes from Denver. The sophomore middle hitter stands at 6-1 and is originally from San Antonio, Texas.
- Nataly Moravec joins the squad from Brigham Young. Moravec stands at 6-2 as a sophomore outside hitter. Moravec calls Weston, Connecticut, home.
BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION
- Six Big Ten teams finished the season ranked in the final top 20 AVCA Coaches Poll — No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 11 Penn State, and No. 20 Purdue.
- The Big Ten Conference has crowned an NCAA Champion in 10 of the last 17 years and at least one Big Ten team has advanced to the Final Four in seven of the last eight seasons.
- Six teams are currently ranked within the top 25 — No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 15 Penn State, No. 17 Purdue, and No. 22 Ohio State.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return home to play No. 1 Wisconsin on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa, followed by a road trip to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on No. 17 Purdue inside Holloway Gymnasium on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. (CT). Full schedule details are available on hawkeyesports.com.