THIS WEEK
Iowa opens Big Ten play with an East Coast trip to Rutgers and Maryland. The Hawkeyes battle the Scarlet Knights on Thursday, Sept. 26 at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. First serve is set for 5 p.m. (CT) and the match will air on the Big Ten Network. Following Thursday’s match with Rutgers, the Hawkeyes travel to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Sept. 28. Iowa and Maryland are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (CT) from the Xfinity Center Pavilion with B1G+ picking up the broadcast.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
- Iowa’s match against Rutgers will air live on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes’ contest against Maryland will be broadcast on B1G+.
- All of Iowa’s matches will be available on the Hawkeye Radio Network (YouTube) with John Evans on the call. Broadcasts are complete with a pre-match show and post-match coverage.
- Live stats for each contest can be found on the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
- Updates and recaps can be found on Iowa Volleyball’s social media platforms.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
- Rutgers is 5-6 in 2024 with wins over LIU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, UMES and VCU.
- Redshirt junior Alissa Kinkela leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring, recording 114 kills with 3.86 kills per set, in the first month of the season.
- Junior Aly Borellis and freshman Lily Bolen facilitate Rutgers’ offense with 169 and 152 assists, respectively.
- Freshman Natalie Robinson is a force at the net with 47.0 blocks so far this season.
- Caitlin Schweihofer enters her fifth season as the Scarlet Knights head coach coming off a milestone-filled 2023 season, where Rutgers captured its most wins since 2012 (10).
SCOUTING MARYLAND
- Maryland is 9-2 through the first month of play, taking down Alabama A&M, American, Delaware State, Lehigh, Nevada, North Texas, UMBC, UCF and Troy.
- The Terrapins open conference play on Thursday, Sept. 26, hosting Northwestern.
- Maryland already has two players with triple-digit kills. Graduate-student Samantha Schnitta and fifth-year Sam Csire command the offense with 136 and 114 kills, respectively.
- Schnitta leads the Big Ten with 31 service aces.
- Fifth-year Sydney Dowler and senior Zoe Huang run the offense for Maryland with 206 and 167 assists, respectively.
- Fifth-year Lilly Gunter holds down the defense for Maryland with 141 digs through the first 11 matches of the season.
- Adam Hughes enters his seventh season at the helm of the Terrapin volleyball program and has recorded 88 career victories through the completion of the 2023 season.
2024 NEWS
- Iowa opened the season with a sweep of the Puerto Rico Classic, knocking off Liberty, 3-0, and Providence, 3-1.
- Junior setter Claire Ammeraal eclipsed 2,000 career assists in the opening weekend, recording a double-double against Liberty and a triple-double against Providence.
- Ammeraal posted Iowa’s first triple-double (34 assists, 17 digs, 11 kills) since Courtney Buzzerio in 2021. It is the third time a Hawkeye has achieved a triple-double since 2005.
- The Hawkeyes went 2-1 at the Hawkeye Invitational, with a five-set win over Delaware and a sweep of Cal Baptist. Ammeraal and freshman Malu Garcia were named to the all-tournament team.
- Freshman setter Jenna Meitzler set a team-high 52 assists in Iowa’s match at Milwaukee.
- Iowa is 2-0 in five-set matches, including a win over South Dakota at the Kwik Star Klassic.
- Senior Gracie Gibson earned all-tournament status at the Kwik Star Klassic, posting 29 kills, nine blocks and a .509 hitting percentage.
- Senior libero Joy Galles leads the Big Ten in digs (183).
- Sophomore Hannah Whittingstall ranks second in the league in blocks (57.0).
- The Hawkeyes are tied for third in service aces (77).
INSTANT IMPACT
The Hawkeyes have relied greatly on several newcomers in 2024. Senior Joy Galles leads the Big Ten in digs through four weeks of competition. Outside hitters Malu Garcia and Dominique Phills are Iowa’s most-productive offensive weapons, leading the team in kills with 110 and 101, respectively. The Hawkeyes have two newcomers at the setter position. Claire Ammeraal, a transfer from Central Michigan, paces the Hawkeyes with 223 assists. Freshman Jenna Meitzler saw her first game action at the Panther Invite, recording 101 assists in 10 sets. Defensive specialist Jaimie Marquardt has appeared in 37 sets, digging 58 attacks.
HAWKEYE TRANSFERS
- Joy Galles comes to Iowa as a graduate transfer from the University of Arizona. Galles appeared in 52 matches as a Wildcat, tallying 180 digs and 57 assists in 2023.
- Kenya Prescott joins the Hawkeyes as a transfer from DMACC. She holds the career school records for digs (1,561) and digs per set (5.80) at DMACC. In two seasons, Prescott played in 76 matches and averaged 5.80 digs per set.
- Claire Ammeraal transfers in from Central Michigan, where she played in 63 matches. The junior setter had over 1,000 assists as a sophomore and registered 168 kills in 2023. She has surpassed 2,000 career assists since joining the Hawkeyes.
- Hannah Whittingstall arrives in Iowa City after spending her freshman year at SMU. Whittingstall put on a show against Houston in 2023, setting career highs in kills (9) and total attacks (22). The sophomore hit .583% against Baylor a season ago.
- Gracie Gibson is a graduate transfer from Lafayette College, appearing in matches in all four seasons as a Leopard. Entering the season, the veteran had played in 79 matches and averaged 1.71 kills per set in her career.
UP NEXT
Iowa welcomes Washington to Xtream Arena on Oct. 4, hosting the Huskies in its Big Ten home opener. The Hawkeyes split their weekend with a trip to Nebraska to take on the Huskers on Oct. 6. Both matches are streamed on B1G+ and will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.