VB Notebook: at Northwestern, vs. No. 11 Oregon

THIS WEEK
Iowa travels to Northwestern on Wednesday for a midweek tilt with the Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The match will air live on the Big Ten Network, beginning at 8 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes return to Xtream Arena on Sunday, welcoming the 11th-ranked Oregon Ducks at noon. Iowa’s match against Oregon is a Pink Out and will be streamed on B1G+.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Iowa’s road match at Northwestern will be televised on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes’ contest with Oregon will be streamed live on B1G+ (subscription required).
• All of Iowa’s matches are 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.

2024 NEWS

• The Hawkeyes completed the season sweep of Rutgers, defeating the Scarlet Knights, 3-0, on Oct. 11. It was Iowa’s first sweep of a conference opponent since 2022 (Rutgers).
• Freshman Malu Garcia set a career high with 20 kills in Iowa’s match against No. 10 Purdue.
• Iowa’s 2-0 start in the Big Ten was its best since 2008.
• Outside hitter Malu Garcia was named B1G Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30 after her performances at Rutgers and Maryland.
• Senior libero Joy Galles leads the Big Ten in digs (278) and is seventh in the league in digs per set (3.92).
• The Hawkeyes are tied for fourth in the Big Ten in service aces (109).
• Sophomore Hannah Whittingstall is tied for fourth in the league in blocks (79.0).
• The Hawkeyes are 4-0 in five-set matches, including wins over Maryland and Rutgers.
• Freshman setter Jenna Meitzler set a team-high 52 assists in Iowa’s match at Milwaukee.
• Senior Gracie Gibson earned all-tournament status at the Kwik Star Klassic, posting 29 kills, nine blocks and a .509 hitting percentage.
• 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.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN

• Northwestern is 3-11 on the season and 1-5 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats have wins over Northern Illinois (twice) and Maryland.
• Junior Buse Hazan leads the Wildcats in kills with 145 so far this season.
• Graduate student Alexa Rousseau is an offensive setter, leading the team with 315 assists, while tallying 116 kills. She is second on the team in kills.
• Sophomore Drew Wright holds down the defense for Northwestern with 150 digs this season.
• Tim Nollan is in his first season with the Wildcats. He was most recently at Grand Canyon University, where he led the Lopes to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023.

SCOUTING No. 11 OREGON

• Oregon is 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the league in its inaugural season as a Big Ten member. The Ducks have notable wins over No. 16 USC, No. 24 BYU and previously-ranked Washington.
• The Ducks take on No. 9 Wisconsin on Friday night in Madison.
• Junior Mimi Colyer leads the Ducks in offensive production with 198 kills.
• Redshirt freshman Cristin Cline is the main facilitator for Oregon with 519 assists – ranking her 10th in the Big Ten.
• Redshirt senior Onye Ofoegbu and redshirt junior Colby Neal are forces at the net with 68 and 65 blocks, respectively, ranking them both inside the top 15 in the Big Ten.
• Matt Ulmer is in his eighth season with the Ducks, leading them to six NCAA tournament appearances and three Elite Eight trips (2018, 2022 and 2023).

THE FRESHMAN PHENOM
Outside hitter Malu Garcia kicked off league play with impressive performances at Rutgers and Maryland and was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30. The freshman from Hilo, Hawaii, tallied 28 kills and 14 blocks in Iowa’s east coast sweep. Garcia matched a career high with 17 kills in the conference opener at Rutgers, while filling the stat sheet with nine blocks and eight digs. She finished the weekend with 11 kills and five blocks in Iowa’s five-set win at Maryland. Garcia is Iowa’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Brie Orr earned the honor in September of 2017. It was Iowa’s first weekly conference recognition since Courtney Buzzerio was the Big Ten Player of the Week in the spring of 2021. Since then, Garcia has updated her career high, notching 20 kills in Iowa’s match against No. 10 Purdue.

INSTANT IMPACT
The Hawkeyes have relied greatly on several newcomers in 2024. Senior Joy Galles leads the Big Ten in digs (275) through seven weeks of competition. Gracie Gibson has the highest hitting percentage for Iowa (.369) and averages 1.97 kills per set from the middle. Malu Garcia leads the team in kills with 179, while fellow freshman Dominique Phills has 104 terminations in 47 sets. The Hawkeyes have two newcomers at the setter position. Freshman Jenna Meitzler saw her first game action at the Panther Invite, and now leads the team with 461 assists. Claire Ammeraal is a transfer from Central Michigan and has 223 assists in 26 sets. Defensive specialist Jaimie Marquardt has appeared in 44 sets, digging 62 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
The Hawkeyes continue their homestand with matches against Michigan (Oct. 25) and Illinois (Oct. 27). First serve against the Wolverines is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) and can be streamed on B1G+. Iowa and Illinois battle on Sunday at 2 p.m. with streaming coverage provided by B1G+. Both matches will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Weekend promotions include Country Night against Michigan and Halloween-themed Spike-or-Treat against Illinois.