VB Notebook: at UCLA, No. 20 USC

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes conclude their 2024 season in Los Angeles, meeting UCLA and No. 20 USC over the Thanksgiving holiday. Iowa visits UCLA on Wednesday inside Pauley Pavilion, before battling No. 20 USC at the Galen Center in the season finale on Friday. Both matches are set to start at 9 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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.
• 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 and the News section on hawkeyesports.com.

2024 NEWS

• Senior Michelle Urquhart is two aces away from setting Iowa’s single-season record within the rally scoring era. Becky Walters holds the record with 41 in 2010.
• Heading into the final weekend, the Hawkeyes are fifth in the Big Ten with 169 aces.
• Six Hawkeyes hit over .300 in Iowa’s win over Indiana on Nov. 14, leading to a season-high .371 team hitting percentage.
• Sophomore Hannah Whittingstall set career bests in kills (16) and aces (4) against Northwestern on Nov. 10.
• 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).
• 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.
• Freshman Malu Garcia set a career high with 20 kills in Iowa’s match against No. 10 Purdue.
• The Hawkeyes are 4-0 in five-set matches, including wins over Maryland and Rutgers.
• 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 UCLA

• The Bruins are 13-14 on the season and 7-11 in conference.
• UCLA has ranked wins over No. 14 Georgia Tech in five sets and No. 24 Washington.
• The Bruins are 1-5 in five-set matches, having gone the distance with Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue and USC.
• Junior Cheridyn Leverette leads UCLA with 398 kills — good for eighth in the conference.
• The Bruins are fifth in the league in kills per set (13.61).
• Graduate student Audrey Pak runs the Bruins offense with 979 assists, also good for eighth-best in the Big Ten.
• Graduate student Anna Dodson leads the team with 98 blocks.
• UCLA has the fewest aces in the Big Ten (114).
• Alfee Reft is in his second season as the Bruins head coach, finishing 18-12 in his first year with the program.

SCOUTING #20 USC

• The Trojans are 19-9 on the season and 11-7 in the Big Ten with ranked wins over No. 11 Oregon and No. 12 Minnesota.
• USC is 11-4 at home this season.
• Graduate student Ally Batenhorst has 416 kills on the season, leading USC and ranking sixth in the conference.
• Senior Mia Tuaniga facilitates the Trojan offense with 1,093 assists — good for third in the Big Ten.
• Redshirt junior Tyrah Ariail and redshirt freshman Leah Ford are tough to hit around at the net with 96.0 and 92.0 blocks, respectively.
• As a team, the Trojans have the most blocks in the Big Ten (311.5) and are third in blocks per set (2.86).
• Head coach Brad Keller is in his fifth season with the Trojans, posting a 63-47 overall record through four seasons.

MICKEY’S CAREER CAMPAIGN
Senior Michelle Urquhart set career highs in 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. On Oct. 27, 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. She is two aces away from setting Iowa’s single-season record in the rally scoring era, dating back to 2001.

THE FRESHMAN PHENOM
Outside hitter Malu Garcia 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.

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.