THIS WEEK
Iowa hosts the Hawkeye Invitational Sept. 6-8, welcoming Cal Baptist, Delaware and San Jose State to Xtream Arena in Coralville. The Hawkeyes begin the weekend with a doubleheader on Friday, battling San Jose State at Noon (CT) and Delaware at 6:30 p.m. Iowa plays Cal Baptist at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 6
Noon: Iowa vs. San Jose State
3 p.m: Delaware vs. Cal Baptist
6:30 p.m: Iowa vs. Delaware
Saturday, Sept. 7
Noon: Delaware vs. San Jose State
6:30 p.m: Iowa vs. Cal Baptist
Sunday, Sept. 8
11 a.m: Cal Baptist vs. San Jose State
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 are second in the Big Ten in service aces (2.43/set) and fourth in kills per set (14.43).
- The Hawkeyes’ roster includes student-athletes from California (1), Colorado (1), Hawaii (1), Illinois (4), Iowa (3), New Zealand (1), Serbia (1), Texas (3), Virginia (1) and Wisconsin (2). The 2024 team returns seven student-athletes from last season and adds five transfers and six freshmen.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
- B1G+ (subscription required) will stream all three Iowa matches.
- 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 interview with Coach Barnes.
- 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 SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State is 2-0 in 2024, with wins over Louisiana Tech and Cal State Fullerton. Blaire Fleming leads SJSU offensively with 39 kills. She is hitting .456 thru two matches. Five Spartans have double-digit digs and are led by Randilyn Reeves (19). San Jose State finished 2023 with a 13-18 overall record and went 4-14 in the Mountain West last season. The Spartans return three out of five hitters who recorded triple digit kills in the 2023 season, led by redshirt sophomore Nayeli Ti’a (287). Top setter Brooke Slusser returns after recording 753 assists last season. Todd Kress enters his second season as the head coach for the Spartans.
SCOUTING DELAWARE
Delaware is 1-1 this season. The Blue Hens dropped a five-set thriller to Michigan, before sweeping Kent State. Returner Savannah Seemans leads Delaware with 25 kills. Lily Rogers averages 9.50 assists/set. Delaware has recorded 38 blocks this season, ten more than its opponents. The Blue Hens finished 24-5 overall and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Delaware fell to Missouri, 3-0, in the opening round. Kirah Johnson (260) and Savannah Seemans (258) return for the Blue Hens, each recording triple-digit kills last season. The Blue Hens replace setter Ezgi Basaranlar, who had 1,050 assists last season. Kimberly Lambert begins her third season as head coach and her eighth season with the Blue Hens volleyball program.
SCOUTING CAL BAPTIST
Cal Baptist is 0-3 in 2024 with losses to #17 Arizona State, Belmont and Lipscomb. Eliana Posada paces the team in kills with 33 on 84 swings. Libero and former Hawkeye Amanda Darling averages 4.09 digs/set. The Lancers finished 14-14 last season, going 7-9 in WAC play. Cal Baptist returns two hitters that finished the 2023 season with triple-digit kills in Nicole Mauser (225) and Laura Walewska (149). Reese Read returns for the Lancers after collecting 432 assists in the 2023 season. Head coach Branden Higa enters his 13th season with the Lancers.
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. Ammeraal has since surpassed the 2,000 career assist mark 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 hits the road for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series match against Iowa State on Sept. 11 in Ames. Over the weekend, the Hawkeyes will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Panther Invite. Iowa plays St. Thomas on Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. (CT), Illinois State on Sept. 14 at noon, and UW-Milwaukee on Sept. 15 at 1 p.m.