Notes: Northwestern, No. 20 Minnesota

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes host two matches at Xtream Arena. First, Iowa welcomes Northwestern for a rematch on Thursday. First serve is set for 6 p.m. (CT). On Sunday, Iowa entertains Minnesota in the only regular season meeting between the programs in 2025. The match will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday's theme is Hawkeye Women Rise and Sunday's is Wicked Day.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Both 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 HIGHLIGHTS

• Claire Ammeraal added two more double-doubles to her season total over the Nov. 7-8 weekend.  She is tied for third in the Big Ten with nine double-doubles.
• Carmel Vares, Alyssa Worden and Hannah Whittingstall each have 10+ kills in six-straight matches.
• Libero Milana Moisio leads the Big Ten with 371 digs. Middle hitter Hannah Whittingstall is tied for second in blocks with 117. As a team, Iowa is third in blocks with 236.5. Setter
• Claire Ammeraal ranks third in the conference with 961 assists.
• The Hawkeyes have played an NCAA-most 11 five-set matches.
• Iowa's 3-2 win at Illinois was the program's first in Champaign since 2005.
• Junior middle hitter Hannah Whittingstall was named the B1G Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27 after leading Iowa to wins over Michigan State and Rutgers.
• Senior Claire Ammeraal recorded her 3,000th career assist against No. 25 USC on Oct. 17.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN

• The Wildcats hold a 15-11 overall record and stand at 5-9 in Big Ten play with victories over Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon and Rutgers.
• Northwestern currently tops the Big Ten in total digs with 1,345 on the season and is anchored defensively by Ayah Elnady’s (223) and Drew Wright's (207) digs. 
• On the offensive side, Elnady and Rylan Reid have been the primary point scorers, posting 274 and 268 kills, respectively. 
• Running a two-setter system, Lauren Carter and Sienna Noordermeer facilitate the offense, tallying 582 and 419 assists apiece. 
• At the net, Bella Simkus and Kayla Kauffman form a strong blocking duo with 73 and 72 blocks, respectively. 
• Carter also leads the Wildcats behind the service line with 35 aces this season. 
• Now in his second year at the helm, head coach Tim Nollan owns a 20-34 record with the program. 

PREVIOUS MEETING
The Hawkeyes fell in a five-set thriller in Evanston on Oct. 31. After dropping the first two sets 25-22 and 25-19, the Hawkeyes responded with 25-23 and 25-18 set wins to force a decisive fifth. Iowa was unable to complete the reverse sweep and fell in the fifth set, 15-10. Iowa played aggressively and outhit the Wildcats .346 to .297, with 70 kills to their 62 kills. The Hawkeyes held the advantage at the net, recording 10 blocks while Northwestern only had two. From the service line, Northwestern had the distinct advantage, serving 12 aces and seven errors, while Iowa had four aces and 14 errors. Ammeraal and Worden recorded their seventh and third double-doubles, respectively, of the season. Ammeraal dished out 52 assists with 11 digs, while tallying three kills. Worden terminated 13 kills with 10 digs and hit .360. Iowa’s middles were explosive in the first meeting, combining for 26 kills and hitting over .400.

SCOUTING #20 MINNESOTA

• The Gophers are 17-8 on the season and even through conference play at 7-7. 
• As a team, Minnesota is second in the Big Ten in service aces per set with 1.78. Georgia Lee leads the team with 27 service aces this season. 
• Julia Hansen tops the Gophers and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 354 kills this season. Hansen was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Sept. 1 after hitting .370 with 51 kills at the Golden Gopher Invitational. She clobbered a season-high 21 kills in a win against Cal Poly. 
• Stella Swenson runs the Minnesota offense, dishing out 861 assists this season.
• Swenson was named Setter of the Week on Sept. 1 after posting 11.27 assists per set over the weekend and posting a career-high 48 assists against Cal Poly. Swenson led Minnesota to a season-best .523 hitting percentage against Ball State, the first time Minnesota has hit over .500 since 2017. 
• Lourdes Myers leads the Gophers with 103 blocks this season. 
• Keegan Cook is in his third year with the Gophers, holding a 55-32 overall record at Minnesota. He has led the Gophers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. 

HAWKEYE MILESTONE WATCH

• Claire Ammeraal: 184 assists from career 3,500.
• Jaimie Marquardt: 14 digs from career 250.
• Milana Moisio: 19 digs from career 600; 29 digs from season 400.
• Greta Schlichter: 23 digs from career 500.
• Aleksandra Stojanovic: 18 kills from season 150.
• Chard'e Vanzandt: 22 digs from career 300.
• Carmel Vares: 43 kills from season 300.
• Hannah Whittingstall: 57 kills from career 500.
• Alyssa Worden: 23 kills from career 200; 38 digs from career 300.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT - MILANA MOISIO
Senior Milana Moisio has been crucial to Iowa’s backrow this season. Her leadership and fit with Coach Barnes’ culture has propelled the team and elevated its defensive production. The libero from Waukegan, Illinois, currently leads the Big Ten with 371 digs. Moisio spent her first three years of eligibility at Miami (FL), where she appeared in 83 matches and tallied 210 digs, 37 assists and 35 service aces. She set a career high with 26 digs and seven assists against Michigan in October. This season, Moisio has recorded four 20+ dig games. In the black and gold, Moisio has added 86 assists, eight service aces and four kills. 

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes hit the road for a match at top-ranked Nebraska. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally on FS1. The match will be streamed on the Hawkeye Radio Network.