Notes: Drake

THIS WEEK
Iowa continues its homestand with an in-state midweek match against Drake on Wednesday. First serve is at 8 p.m. (CT) inside Xtream Arena. The Hawkeyes will host the Kwik Star Klassic Friday-Sunday.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The match will be televised on Big Ten Network. Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Allie Sczech (analyst) will be on the call.
• John Evans will provide the live play-by-play of the match 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

• The Hawkeyes went 2-1 at their Hawkeye invitational.
• Jenna Meitzler and Rosa Vesty landed on the all-tournament team.
• Rosa Vesty's 16 kills and six blocks were career highs and helped Iowa take down Southern Illinois.
• Peyton Young had a career-high 13 kills in Iowa's win over Incarnate Word.
• Nikolija Bulatovic made her collegiate debut against Incarnate Word.
• Setter Jenna Meitzler leads the Big Ten in assists (372) and is second in assists/set (11.27).
• Jenna Meitzler and Ksenija Tomic are tied for fourth in the Big Ten with three double-doubles.
• Iowa swept Iowa State on Sept. 8 and won in Ames for the first time since 1997.
• The Hawkeyes knocked off the Cyclones via sweep for their first win in the series since 2021.
• Ksenija Tomic had 10 kills and hit .409 to lead Iowa offensively against the Cyclones. She has led the scoring for Iowa in three matches this season.
• Iowa is first in the conference with 14.55 kills/set and eighth with a .273 hitting percentage.
• The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten averaging 15.48 digs/set.
• 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.

SCOUTING DRAKE

• The Bulldogs are 5-3 so far this season, recently sweeping the Kansas City Klassic with victories over Kansas City, Radford and Utah Valley. Drake will play Omaha on Tuesday.
• Drake went 18-12 in the 2025 season and finished 12-4 in MVC play.
• MVC preseason polls predicted the Bulldogs to finish second in the conference.
• Senior outside hitter Lisa Melenciano leads the offensive attack with 93 kills, recently recording a career-high 27 kills against CSUN. 
• Drake uses two setters, Katie Quick and Carolyn Maser, who have 165 and 152 assists, respectively.
• Jasmine Dulan commands the back row with 185 digs. Aniyah Davis leads the charge at the net with 27 blocks.
• Drake is hitting .196 this season, allowing its opponents to hit .203.
• The Bulldogs are 2-0 in five-set matches.

LAST TIME OUT
Iowa placed second at the Hawkeye Invitational, defeating Incarnate Word and Southern Illinois and falling to Missouri State in the title match. The Hawkeyes got off to a good start, beating Southern Illinois on Thursday behind the arm of Rosa Vesty. Vesty's career night of 16 kills and six blocks led Iowa to the win. Carmel Vares drilled 15 kills and helped Iowa hit .248. Friday required a comeback effort from Iowa. After dropping the first set and trailing by six in the second set to Incarnate Word, the Hawkeyes turned up the attack and blew by the Cardinals in four. Peyton Young provided the spark, leading the team with 13 kills on 25 swings and adding six blocks. Ksenija Tomic, Vares and Vesty tallied double-digit kills. Iowa's bid at the tournament title came up short on Saturday as the Missouri State Bears won in four sets. The Hawkeyes won the opening set before the Bears took the next three. Tomic and Liv Mogridge were the only Hawkeyes in double figures with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Missouri State hit .295 in its win. 

CY-HAWK SWEEP
Iowa went on the road and swept rival Iowa State on Sept. 8. It was Iowa’s first win over Iowa State since 2021 and the first over the Cyclones in Ames since 1997. The Hawkeyes won the first two sets decisively 25-20 and 25-21 before holding off Iowa State’s charge in the third, 25-23. Ksenija Tomic led the attack with 10 kills and a .409 hitting percentage. Jenna Meitzler had 35 assists, five digs and three kills. Iowa hit .287 to Iowa State’s .230. The Hawkeyes silenced a crowd of 4,665 fans and picked up its second true road victory of the season.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HAWKEYES
Jenna Meitzler and Rosa Vesty were named to the Hawkeye Invitational all-tournament team. Meitzler racked up 118 assists in three matches and added 12 kills. Defensively, she had 18 digs and nine blocks. Meitzler continues to lead the Big Ten with 372 assists and ranks second averaging 11.27 assists/set. Vesty’s career night against Southern Illinois helped her land on the all-tourney team. Vesty had 16 kills, hit .500 and blocked six attacks as Iowa beat the Salukis. In total, she finished with 29 kills, a .367 hitting percentage and 12 blocks across three matches. At the Black Knight Invitational to open the season, Hallie Steponaitis was the tournament MVP. Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall landed on the all-tournament team. 

IMPACT TRANSFERS
Coach Barnes picked up two commitments from power four transfers during the offseason. Middle hitter Liv Mogridge and outside hitter Ksenija Tomic are among the leaders in Iowa’s offense. Mogridge had 88 kills and averages 3.03 kills per set, both of which lead the team. Mogridge also hits .361 and plays mostly in the middle but has taken some swings from the pin. Tomic has plenty of pop, smacking 66 kills in 31 sets played. She has 79 digs and averages 2.55/set. She has a team-leading three double-doubles this season, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.

B1G AT ITS BEST
Eight Big Ten programs are ranked in this week's AVCA Coaches Top 25. Nebraska is the No. 1 team, earning 48 of 63 possible first-place votes. Wisconsin (No. 6) and Penn State (No. 9) rank in the top ten. Purdue moved up three spots and is 11th in the country after a flawless weekend that included a sweep over then-No. 8 SMU. Minnesota and USC are in the top 20. The Gophers hold the No. 14 spot, while the Trojans are No. 19. Indiana has lingered around the top 20 all season and in this installment, ranks 21st. Oregon rounds out those in the top 25 from the Big Ten and is No. 23. Undefeated Michigan State is receiving votes this week. Of the eight ranked Big Ten teams, Iowa will host Minnesota, Purdue, USC and Wisconsin at Xtream Arena.

UP NEXT
Iowa enters its final weekend of nonconference play with the Kwik Star Klassic Friday-Sunday. Iowa welcomes Texas Tech at 11 a.m. on Friday. The Hawkeyes entertain West Florida on Saturday at 6 before wrapping up the tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Central Arkansas.