Notes: Kwik Star Klassic

THIS WEEK
Iowa hosts the Kwik Star Klassic at Xtream Arena, welcoming Butler, Illinois State and Loyola Chicago on Sept. 4-6. The Hawkeyes entertain Butler in their home opener at 6:00 p.m. (CT) on Thursday. Iowa will face off against Illinois State on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Loyola Chicago on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for Kids' Day.

2025 NEWS

• Iowa won the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, picking up sweeps over UNLV and Cal State Bakersfield.
• The Hawkeyes won their fifth consecutive five-set match, outlasting Utah Tech on Aug. 30.
• Setter Claire Ammeraal was named the tournament MVP in Vegas, stuffing the stat sheet with 87 assists, 25 digs and 20 kills. She recorded a triple-double in the win over Utah Tech.
• Libero Milana Moisio and middle hitter Aleksandra Stojanovic were all-tournament selections at the Rebel Challenge.
• The Hawkeyes will have three matches televised on the Big Ten Network: at Washington (Oct. 4), vs. Rutgers (Oct. 26) and vs. Penn State (Nov. 29).
• Iowa will host USC (Oct. 17) and UCLA (Oct. 19) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, marking its return to Carver for the first time since 2021.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Iowa's matches will be streamed 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.

SCOUTING BUTLER

• Butler opened the 2025 season 3-0, hosting the Big Dawg Kickoff and securing wins over Evansville, Purdue Fort Wayne and Middle Tennessee State. 
• The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season 7-23 (5-13 in the Big East). 
• Butler returns nine student-athletes, including kills leader Elise Ward and defensive specialist Lauren Evans.
• After the first weekend of play, Alaleh Tolliver and Ward lead the Bulldogs offensive production with 44 and 36 kills, respectively. 
• Kaylee Finnegan runs the offense, racking up 128 assists in Butler’s three wins this season. 
• Butler is projected to finish 9th in the Big East.
• Head coach Kyle Shondell is in his third season and has a 23-39 overall record. 

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE

• Illinois State secured three sweeps, against DePaul, Western Michigan and Oakland at the Western Michigan Tournament to open 2025. 
• The Redbirds finished 17-16 last season with an 11-7 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Aida Shadewald leads Illinois State with 29 kills this season. She finished the 2024 season with 385 kills, recording a team-high 3.56 kills per set. 
• The Redbird offense is run by Audrey Clark and Ella Craggs, who have recorded 55 and 36 assists, respectively. 
• Khenedi Guest blocked 99 attacks last season and stuffed 14 attempts during the opening weekend. 
• Illinois State's head coach is Allie Matters. Matters has a 44-52 record and is in her fourth season. 

SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO

• Loyola Chicago earned its second league title in 2024, upsetting No. 18 Dayton (3-0) and earning an NCAA Tournament bid. From there the Ramblers won their first ever NCAA Tournament match, sweeping No. 24 BYU. 
• The Ramblers started the 2025 season at the Western Kentucky Invitational, going 1-2 with a win over Drake. 
• Outside duo Leyna Nquyen (49) and Kaitlyn Burke (41) lead the team in kills.
• Ava Hunter facilitates the offense for the Ramblers, tallying 130 assists in the opening weekend. 
• Sam Falk holds down the defense with 4.00 digs per set, totaling 52 digs from the past weekend. 
• Head coach Amanda Berkley enters her eighth season with the Ramblers with a 142–103 overall record. 

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
Of the 19 members of Iowa's roster, five are international student-athletes. Sophomore Aleksandra Stojanovic and freshman Carmel Vares each drilled 21 kills to lead Iowa offensively. Stojanovic is hitting at .386 through three matches and converted on 13 of 21 swings in Iowa's win over Utah Tech. Vares also had 13 kills against the Trailblazers, while also tallying five digs. Defensive specialist Greta Schlichter appeared in all three matches in the back row and had five digs. Freshman Marichka Hoshylyk made her debut against CSU Bakersfield and had three digs and one block. 

HAWKEYE TRANSFERS

• Libero Allison Berent joins the program after spending two seasons, one as a redshirt, at Alabama. As a freshman in 2023, Berent appeared in eight matches and posted a career-high nine digs against South Carolina. She earned her first career start against Mississippi State. A native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, Berent was tabbed as an Under Armour All-American, AVCA Second-Team All-American and listed as a five-star recruit in the 2023 class, according to VBallRecruiter.com.
• Milana Moisio will spend her final year of eligibility as a Hawkeye after playing for Miami (FL) for the first three seasons of her career. A veteran libero from Waukegan, Illinois, Moisio joins with 83 matches played, 210 digs, 37 assists and 35 service aces. Moisio brings postseason experience to Iowa City after reaching the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons as a Hurricane.
• Greta Schlichter transfers in as a libero from Syracuse, where she started in 57 matches over two seasons. As a sophomore in 2024, Schlichter was third on the team in digs with 234. She had a more offensive role in 2023, tallying 101 kills in her freshman campaign. A native of Lathen, Germany, Schlichter played for VC Olympia Berlin for three years.
• Chard’e Vanzandt is an outside hitter from Houston, Texas, who spent the last two seasons as a standout performer at Chattanooga. In 2024, Vanzandt was a first-team all-SoCon selection, playing in all 32 matches with 31 starts for the Mocs. She led the team in kills (390), kills/set (3.20), attacking percentage (.341) and points (451). 

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes hit the road for the SEMO Invitational in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, next Thursday thru Saturday. Iowa kicks off the weekend against SEMO, before matches with Murray State and Weber State. Matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with John Evans on the call.