VB Notebook: at No. 7 Wisconsin, vs. Northwestern

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes have a split weekend with a road trip to Wisconsin on Friday night before a home match against Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. Iowa meets Wisconsin for the only time this season, while the Hawkeyes look to even the season series with the Wildcats after falling to Northwestern in October. First serve against Wisconsin is set for 6 p.m. (CT). Iowa hosts Northwestern for its annual Military Appreciation Day at 2 p.m. inside Xtream Arena.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Both matches 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

• Redshirt freshman Alyssa Worden posted her first career double-double at Penn State on Nov. 1. Worden set career highs in digs (14) and kills (10).
• Senior Michelle Urquhart notched a pair of career highs in October. Urquhart recorded a .471 hitting percentage against Washington on Oct. 4 and tallied 20 kills against Illinois on Oct. 27.
• 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.
• Garcia was named B1G Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30 after her performances at Rutgers and Maryland.
• Iowa’s 2-0 start in the Big Ten was its best since 2008.
• Senior libero Joy Galles is second in the Big Ten in digs (354) and is seventh in the league in digs per set (3.81).
• The Hawkeyes are 4-0 in five-set matches, including wins over Maryland and Rutgers.
• Iowa is 7-1 when winning the opening set. The Hawkeyes are 8-2 when winning the second.
• 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 #7 WISCONSIN

• The Badgers are 16-5 on the season and 10-2 in conference with wins over No. 10 Purdue, No. 11 Oregon, No. 23 Baylor, and No. 25 Washington. Wisconsin has won 10 of its last 11 matches, losing to Nebraska in straight sets on Nov. 1.
• Fifth year Sarah Franklin leads the Badgers with 333 kills — good for sixth in the Big Ten.
• Freshman Charlie Fuerbringer facilitates the offense with 760 assists.
• Fifth year CC Crawford and junior Carter Booth are both tied with 80.0 blocks. As a team, Wisconsin ranks third in the Big Ten with 229.5 total blocks.
• Freshman Lola Schumacher holds down the Badger defense with 272 digs.
• Head coach Kelly Sheffield is in his 12th season with the Badgers. Sheffield has guided Wisconsin to the NCAA Tournament in every season under his direction, winning the NCAA Championship in 2021.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN

• The Wildcats are 4-16 on the season and 2-10 in conference play. It is the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Northwestern defeated Iowa, 3-1, in Evanston on Oct. 16.
• Junior Buse Hazan leads the Wildcats in kills with 188 so far this season.
• Graduate student Alexa Rousseau is an offensive setter, leading the team with 435 assists, while tallying 144 kills. She is second on the team in kills.
• Junior Kennedy Hill has become a presence at the net with 89.0 blocks this season.
• Sophomore Drew Wright holds down the defense for Northwestern with 217 digs.
• Tim Nollan is in his first season with the Wildcats.

MICKEY’S CAREER CAMPAIGN
Senior Michelle Urquhart has set career highs in recent matchups against Washington and Illinois. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native shattered her previous best with a .471 hitting percentage against the Huskies on Oct. 4. Last weekend, Urquhart drilled 20 kills against Illinois to update her career best. Her previous best was 17, which she accomplished three times while at Tulane. She also matched her high for total attacks (52). Earlier this season, Urquhart tallied double-digit kills in six consecutive matches, helping Iowa win three Big Ten contests.

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.

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, facing off against Indiana on Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. (CT). The match is a Black Out. Iowa hosts Michigan State for Senior Day on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. inside Xtream Arena.