Notes: at No. 1 Nebraska, No. 10 Wisconsin

THIS WEEK
Iowa heads to Lincoln for a battle with No. 1 Nebraska on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT). The match will air on FS1. The Hawkeyes then travel to Madison for a showdown with No. 10 Wisconsin on Sunday. First serve is set for 1 p.m. inside the UW Field House.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Thursday's match will be televised on FS1. Sunday's match 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

SCOUTING #1 NEBRASKA

• The Huskers are the sole undefeated team in Division I volleyball with an unblemished 24-0 record and are 14-0 in Big Ten play. On the season, Nebraska has swept 20 opponents, including No. 6 Stanford, No. 12 Purdue, No. 16 Penn State, No. 17 USC and No. 22 Minnesota.
• Nebraska had won 48 sets in a row until UCLA won the third set last week in LA.
• As a team, Nebraska leads the conference with 14.69 kills per set and holds opponents to a conference-low .128 hitting percentage, while hitting a nation-leading .348 clip.
• The Huskers utilize all options in the front row, with four players above 150 kills. Harper Murray leads the team with 288, followed by Andi Jackson (220), Rebekah Allick (191) and Virginia Adriano (153).
• The two-time defending Big Ten Setter of the Year, Bergen Reilly runs Nebraska’s offense with 815 assists.
• The defense is held down by Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch with 237 and 217 digs, respectively.
• Dani Busboom Kelly enters her first year at the helm of her alma mater, after compiling a 203-44 record with Louisville, where she led the Cardinals to two NCAA Championship matches. She was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2021 after winning 32 straight matches to begin the season. 

SCOUTING #10 WISCONSIN

• The Badgers are 20-4 on the season and 13-3 in conference play with ranked wins over No. 14 Kansas, No. 15 Florida, No. 18 Indiana, No. 21 Georgia Tech, No. 22 Minnesota and No. 23 UCLA.
• Wisconsin ranks second in the conference with 14.44 kills per set and is hitting at a  .308 clip.
• Mimi Colyer is the Badgers main offensive option. She ranks third in the Big Ten with 418 kills and averages 5.36 kills per set with a .325 hitting percentage.
• Charlie Fuerbringer is back for the Badgers after being out due to a shoulder injury. She currently has 505 assists and was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week after averaging 14.00 assists per set in Wisconsin’s wins over Illinois and Michigan State. Fuerbringer leads the conference with 11.48 assists per set.
• Carter Booth is tough to hit through at the net recording 103 blocks this season.
• Kelly Sheffield is in his 12th year at Wisconsin boasting a 338-72 record. He led Wisconsin to an NCAA Championship title in 2021. 

PREVIOUS MEETING
The Hawkeyes fell in straight sets (25-16, 25-14, 25-16) to then-No. 7 Wisconsin at Xtream Arena. It was Iowa’s first Big Ten loss of the season and one of only three sweeps the Hawkeyes have suffered this season. Chard’e Vanzandt led the Hawkeyes with eight kills and recorded the lone service ace. Carmel Vares was lethal from the right side, terminating seven kills on 17 swings and hitting .235. Wisconsin hit .381, with Colyer recording 17 kills and Alicia Andrew hitting a team-high .636. The Badger block held Iowa to a .068 clip and recorded five blocks.

ON THE DEFENSE
Against Northwestern, the Hawkeyes dug a season-high 76 attacks and were led by Milana Moisio with 19 digs. Following Claire Ammeraal’s 17 digs, Jaimie Marquardt helped in the back row with 12 digs of her own. Greta Schlichter also provided a defensive boost with her seven digs. Following Thursday night's defensive showing, Moisio put together another solid match in the back row, digging 20 attacks against Minnesota. That marked the Waukegan, Illinois, native’s fifth 20+ dig game. Schlichter had a season-high 10 digs and Ammeraal used 10 digs to secure her 10th double-double of the season.

HAWKEYE MILESTONE WATCH

• Claire Ammeraal: 80 assists from career 3,500
• Greta Schlichter: 6 digs from career 500.
• Aleksandra Stojanovic: 8 kills from season 150.
• Chard'e Vanzandt: 12 digs from career 300.
• Carmel Vares: 12 kills from season 300.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT - CLAIRE AMMERAAL
Senior Claire Ammeraal has been influential to Hawkeye volleyball since she transferred her junior year. Last year, Ammeraal started the season strong before an injury placed her on the bench for a month. This season, Ammeraal has been at full strength and has shown her versatility around the court. The Madison, Wisconsin, native is currently tied for first in the league with 1,065 assists. She is having her best assist-per-set season with 9.59 in the 2025 campaign. Among all Big Ten setters, Ammeraal leads the way offensively with 155 kills. So far, Ammeraal has amassed 10 double-doubles and two triple-doubles. She has also set career highs in assists (58) at Michigan and hitting percentage (.667) against Rutgers. Ammeraal spent her first two seasons at Central Michigan, where she recorded 1,977 assists, 583 digs, 291 kills and 46 service aces. 

UP NEXT
Iowa wraps up its regular season at Xtream Arena on Nov. 28 and 29. The Hawkeyes entertain Ohio State on Senior Day before welcoming Penn State the following day. The match against the Nittany Lions will air on Big Ten Network.