Notes: at Mississippi State, vs. Alabama

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes travel to Starkville, Mississippi, for the inaugural 2026 Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge. Iowa takes on Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Thursday and Alabama at 2 p.m. Friday. Both matches will be played inside the Newell-Grissom Building.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
• John Evans will provide the live play-by-play of both matches on the Hawkeye Radio Network.
• Live stats and recaps can be found on the volleyball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
• In-game coverage will be shared on Iowa volleyball's social media platforms.

2026 HIGHLIGHTS

• Head Coach Jim Barnes won the 500th match of his coaching career in Iowa's victory over UAlbany.
• Iowa won the Black Knight Invitational, including sweeps of Army and Sacred Heart.
• Hallie Steponaitis was the tournament MVP, while teammates Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall landed on the all-tournament teams.
• Marichka Hoshylyk notched a double-double in the win over UAlbany, posting career highs with 17 digs and 11 kills.
• Iowa's left sides rose to the challenge and combined for 19 kills in the sweep of Sacred Heart. Carmel Vares tallied 11 and Ksenija Tomic had eight. 
• Third-year libero Jaimie Marquardt leads the Big Ten with 4.8 digs per set and is second with 48 total digs.
• Iowa brings back 13 letterwinners from last season's team. Four newcomers, including two transfers and two freshmen, make up the rest of the roster.
• The Hawkeyes will play 10 consecutive matches at home in the month of September.
• Iowa was picked to finish 15th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE

• The Bulldogs are 2-1 after participating in the Jaguar Classic with victories over Georgia State and South Alabama and a loss to Rice. 
• Mississippi State finished 16-10 in the 2025 season and 6-9 in league play. The Bulldogs placed 10th in the SEC. 
• The Bulldogs return 10 players from the 2025 team.
• The attack is led by second-year outside hitter Lindsey Mangelson, who has a team-leading 40 kills this season. The 2025 SEC All-Freshman selection notched a double-double (18 kills, 13 digs) in a four-set loss to Rice.
• Junior setter Cayley Hanson reappears after dishing out 953 assists in the 2025 season. Hanson posted 45 assists and eight digs against Rice. 
• The Bulldogs are hitting at a .191 clip this season, while allowing their opponents to hit .226. 

SCOUTING ALABAMA

• The Crimson Tide are 2-0 on the season with wins over Samford and UC Riverside. 
• Alabama finished 14-13 overall last year and 12th in the SEC at 5-10. This marked the team’s first winning season in seven years. 
• The Tide return Kaleigh Palmer, who was third in kills last season with 190. Palmer logged 12 kills and eight digs in the season-opening win over Samford. 
• Third-year setter Hannah Parant led the SEC in service aces last season with 52. Parant also tallied 902 assists and 201 digs in her 2025 campaign. 
• Transfer libero Dionii Fraga has impressed from the back row, recording 30 digs over her first two games for the Crimson Tide. She posted 21 digs against Samford. 
• As a team, Alabama is hitting .270 and holding its opponents to a .103 hitting percentage.

The full schedule of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week can be found here.

LAST TIME OUT
Iowa began the season with decisive wins and the Black Knight Invitational title last weekend. The Hawkeyes defeated hosts Army West Point 3-0 on Friday. Coach Barnes picked up win 500 of his career on Saturday as Iowa took down UAlbany in four sets. The Hawkeyes won the tournament title on Sunday with a rapid sweep of Sacred Heart. Hallie Steponaitis was named the tournament MVP with 27 kills and a .471 hitting percentage. She added eight blocks and seven digs. Liv Mogridge made her Iowa debut and landed on the all-tournament team following a 33-kill weekend. She posted a .443 hitting percentage on 61 swings. Mogridge was a force at the net with 13 blocks. Fellow middle Hannah Whittingstall was third on the team with 25 kills over the weekend and had a team-high .511 hitting percentage. She was error-free until the final match. Whittingstall also had 13 blocks and earned all-tournament recognition.

BARNES WINS NO. 500
Head coach Jim Barnes won the 500th match of his career on Aug. 29. Iowa took down UAlbany in four sets to get Barnes his milestone victory. He is one of 28 active D1 head coaches that has tallied 500 or more wins. Barnes joins Wisconsin’s Kelly Sheffield and Purdue’s Dave Shondell as members of the 500-plus wins club. Barnes began his head coaching career in 1996 at Lamar. The Lake Charles, Louisiana, native has enjoyed successful stops at Wyoming, Baylor and Tulane before being named Iowa’s 11th head coach in December of 2021.

MIDDLE U
Iowa’s offense thrives in the middle with veteran middle hitters Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall. The duo combined for 58 of the team’s 139 kills on opening weekend. Mogridge hit .443 with a team-leading 33 kills, while Whittingstall added 25 kills and a team-high .511 hitting percentage. The two team up at the net and are tied atop the Hawkeyes’ block list with 13 apiece through three matches. Iowa is second in the Big Ten with 28 blocks in 10 sets played.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Several marquee matches highlight Iowa’s 2026 schedule. The Hawkeyes will appear on television four times this season, all of which are home contests. Matches against Drake, Purdue, Wisconsin and UCLA will air on the Big Ten Network. Iowa will also participate in the inaugural Allstate B1G/SEC Challenge in September. The Hawkeyes hit the road for matches in Starkville, Mississippi, against Mississippi State and Alabama. 2026 marks the return of the Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge, highlighting weekday matches against Maryland, Michigan, Purdue, USC and Washington. The Big Ten will host the first Big Ten Volleyball Tournament in Fishers, Indiana, Nov. 20-25. The top 15 teams from the regular season standings qualify to the tournament.

UP NEXT
Iowa concludes its season-opening road swing with the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk match against Iowa State in Ames on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The match begins at 6:30 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.