| OPPONENT | Iowa (8-10, 0-6) vs. No. 13 Penn State (12-3, 6-0) |
| LOCATION | Coralville, Iowa (Xtream Arena) |
| DATE | Friday, Oct. 13 |
| FIRST SERVE | 7 p.m. (CT) on B1G Network |
| OPPONENT | Iowa (8-10, 0-6) vs. Michigan State (11-6, 3-3) |
| LOCATION | Coralville, Iowa (Xtream Arena) |
| DATE | Saturday, Oct. 14 |
| FIRST SERVE | 6 p.m. (CT) on B1G+ |
The Hawkeyes host No. 13 Penn State, Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The Hawkeyes then host Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. (CT).
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
- The Penn State match will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network. Sloane Martin and Elena Shklyar are on the call.
- The Michigan State match will be live streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).
- Both matches will be available on the Hawkeye Radio Network (YouTube) with John Evans on the call.
HAWKEYE FAST FACTS
- Two athletes play in every set (65) so far this season; Delaney McSweeney and Bailey Ortega.
- Fifth-year transfer Caitlan Buettner is 14 kills away from the 1,000-kill milestone. She currently has 986 career kills.
- Senior setter Bailey Ortega is 70 (20,16) assists away from the 2,000-assist milestone. Ortega currently ranks 10th on Iowa’s all-time assists list with 1,930 career assists behind Jitka Stehnova (2,159; 2002-03).
- Ten Hawkeyes have tallied at least one ace, but five are in double digits; Michelle Urquhart (34), Caitlan Buettner (15), Anna Davis (12), Sydney Dennis (11), and Nataly Moravec (10).
- Three athletes have registered triple-digit digs; Sydney Dennis (262), Caitlan Buettner (175), and Michelle Urquhart (146).
SCOUTING NO. 13 PENN STATE
- Katie Schumacher-Cawley is in her second season at the helm of her alma mater.
- Wisconsin is currently 6-0 in Big Ten ball, with wins over Rutgers (3-0), Northwestern (3-0), Illinois (3-0), Minnesota (3-1), Indiana (3-2), and No. 24 Ohio State (3-2).
- Graduate student setter Mac Podraza is a captain for the squad and the reigning Big Ten Setter of the Year. Podraza came to the Nittany Lions after a decorated four year career at Ohio State.
- Jess Mruzik is another Big Ten transfer the Nittany Lions grabbed in the off season. The senior outside hitter has already been named the AVCA national player of the week and the Big Ten player of the week (2x), this season.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
- Leah Johnson enters her second season at the helm of the Spartans.
- Michigan State is currently 3-3 in conference play. The conference wins were against Michigan (3-0), Northwestern (3-2), and Rutgers (3-1). The squads losses came to Illinois (2-3), #2 Nebraska (1-3), and Northwestern (2-3).
- Senior DS/L Nalani Iosia is ranked fifth in the Big Ten in both digs (255, 116th nationally.) and digs per set (4.05, 114th nationally).
- Freshman outside hitter Taylah Holdem is ranked seventh in the conference in both total kills (219, 108th nationally), and points (248, 129th nationally. Holdem is from Burnside high school in Christchurch, New Zealand, the same hometown and alma mater of Iowa’s Rosa Vesty.
2023 UPDATE
- Iowa is 8-10 overall and 0-6 in Big Ten play, coming off a home mid-week matchup against No. 1 Wisconsin , 0-3, and No. 19 Purdue, 0-3. The Hawkeyes are 5-5 at home and 3-5 on the road.
- Fifth year Caitlan Buettner ranks second in the Big Ten in total attacks (706) and 33rd nationally.
- Junior Michelle Urquhart currently ranks second in the conference in service aces (34) and ranks 17th across the country, as well as second in aces per set (.54) in the Big Ten and 17th in the NCAA.
- Redshirt sophomore Sydney Dennis currently ranks second in the league in total digs (262) and ranks 102nd nationally.
- Iowa leads the Big Ten in four categories: digs per set (15.34; 72nd in NCAA), team attacks per set (35.22; 93rd in NCAA), team digs (997; 91st in NCAA), and team total attacks (2,289; 213th 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 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.
- Five teams are currently ranked within the top 25 — No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 13 Penn State, No. 15 Purdue, and No. 24 Minnesota.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes hit the road play a two game road slate against No. 13 Penn State on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. (CT) inside the Rec Hall in University Park, Pennsylvania, followed by Maryland on Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. (CT) inside the Xfinity Center Pavilion in College Park, Maryland. Full schedule details are available on hawkeyesports.com.