Notes: Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk, Hawkeye Invite

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes begin a five-match homestand that starts Wednesday evening with the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series match. Iowa State comes to town with first serve set for 6:00 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. Iowa hosts the Hawkeye Invitational on Friday and Sunday, welcoming East Texas A&M and Lindenwood. Friday's match starts at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday's match begins at 2:00 p.m. to wrap up non-conference play. 

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Iowa's matches will be streamed on B1G+.
• All of Iowa's matches are broadcast 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.

2025 NEWS

• The Hawkeyes went 1-2 at the SEMO Invite last weekend, sweeping Murray State and dropping two five-set matches that bookended the trip.
• Iowa was immaculate at the Kwik Star Klassic, sweeping matches against Butler, Illinois State and Loyola Chicago.
• Through two weekends, setter Claire Ammeraal has been the tournament MVP at the Rebel Challenge and Kwik Star Klassic. Ammeraal has a triple-double, two double-doubles and leads the team in assists (287).
• Libero Milana Moisio was the defensive MVP at the Kwik Star Klassic, tallying 38 kills, 4.2 digs/set and 13 assists. Middle hitters Hannah Whittingstall and Aleksandra Stojanovic were named to the all-tournament team.
• Iowa won the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, picking up sweeps over UNLV and Cal State Bakersfield. Iowa won its fifth consecutive five-set match, outlasting Utah Tech on Aug. 30.

SCOUTING IOWA STATE

• Iowa State is 7-1 on the season, with its only loss coming to in-state opponent Northern Iowa. The Cyclones lead the nation in kills per set (15.16) and rank second in assists per set (14.11). 
• The Cyclones finished the 2024 season 10-18 and are predicted to finish ninth in the Big 12 conference. 
• Alea Goolsby holds the team lead with 88 kills and 3.52 kills/set.
• Senior Maya Duckworth landed on the all-Big 12 preseason team after finishing the 2024 season with 215 kills. She is currently tied for the second-most kills on the team with 70 and has the third-highest hitting percentage at .365. 
• Morgan Brandt enters her final season with the Cyclones, currently ranking eighth in assists all-time at Iowa State. She is fifth in the nation with 11.19 assists per set. 
• Rachel Van Gorp returns for the Cyclones and anchors the team with 116 digs and 11 service aces through eight matches. 
• Christy Johnson-Lynch enters her 21st year at Iowa State. She has led the Cyclones to the NCAA Championships in 16 of her 20 seasons.  

SCOUTING EAST TEXAS A&M

• The Lions are 0-8 in 2025. They finished 10-19 in 2024 and hail from the Southland Conference.
• Gracie Campbell leads the Lions with 95 kills through the first eight matches. She finished the 2024 season with 196, ranking her fourth among Lion players. 
• Haley Mullaney and Katelyn Pritchard run the offense for the Lions recording 111 and 105 assists, respectively. 
• Freshman Jade Washington holds down the defense for East Texas A&M with 152 digs this season. She earned all-tournament honors at the Lion Invitational after collecting 41 digs in nine sets played. 
• Joe Morales begins his third season with the Lions, guiding them to back-to-back eighth place finishes in the Southland Conference, despite two teams being added to the conference. 

SCOUTING LINDENWOOD

• Lindenwood is 4-2 on the season, with key wins over Virginia Tech and DePaul. The Lions were picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. 
• Lindenwood finished the 2024 season 23-11 and won the OVC Championship. Due to reclassification, Lindenwood was ineligible for NCAA post-season competition. Instead the Lions competed at the NIVC, becoming the first team in Lindenwood’s DI history to compete in postseason play. 
• Returning all-OVC Autumn Bax leads the Lions with 65 kills, after posting a Lindenwood freshman record 329 kills. She earned the 2024 OVC Freshman of the Year award. 
• Ashley Geluck was named to the 2025 OVC watch list and has 58 kills this season, hitting at a .317 clip. That ranks fifth in the OVC. 
• Meghan Donoughue is ranked second in the OVC with 193 assists. She was named Co-Setter and Freshman of the Week following her performance at the Hampton Inn and Suites Seahawks Classic, where she totaled 108 assists, 32 digs, 16 kills, and seven blocks over three matches. 
• Will Condon, the 2024 OVC Coach of the Year, returns for his ninth season.

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
The Hawkeyes have seen strong production from their international student-athletes. Freshman Carmel Vares is leading Iowa’s offense with 83 kills through nine matches. Sophomore Aleksandra Stojanovic is hitting .466 on the season with 53 kills and 27 blocks. Stojanovic hit .714 against Illinois State and moved into a tie for 12th all-time in program history. She followed it up with an efficient .875 day against Weber State. Freshman Marichka Hoshylyk posted three kills against Butler to help secure the Hawkeye win. Defensive specialist Greta Schlichter has 23 digs in eight matches for the Hawkeyes. 

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Senior setter Claire Ammeraal is on a tear through the first nine matches for the Hawkeyes, earning tournament MVP awards at the Rebel Challenge and Kwik Star Klassic. Through 31 sets, Ammeraal has totaled 287 assists, 71 digs, 53 kills and a team-leading .443 hitting percentage. She is ranked fifth among Big Ten setters in total assists and has the most kills among setters. Ammeraal recorded her second career triple-double against Utah Tech recording 41 assists, 18 digs, and 11 kills in a five-set victory.

BALANCED ATTACK
Iowa's offense is using a balanced attack in 2025. Pins Chard'e Vanzandt, Carmel Vares and Alyssa Worden have taken turns leading the Hawkeyes early in the season. Vares leads the team with 83 kills, Vanzandt is close behind with 79. Both Hawkeyes set season highs at the SEMO Invite, as Vanzandt crushed 22 kills against SEMO. Vares drilled 19 kills against Weber State. The Hawkeyes turn to Hannah Whittingstall and Aleksandra Stojanovic and offensive setter Claire Ammeraal to strike from the middle.

UP NEXT
Iowa turns its attention to Big Ten play, kicking off the conference slate with Maryland and No. 7 Wisconsin at Xtream Arena. The Hawkeyes host the Terrapins on Thursday, Sept. 25 and the Badgers on Sunday, Sept. 28.