Notes: Kwik Star Klassic

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes host the Kwik Star Klassic Friday-Sunday. Iowa plays West Florida on Friday at 11 a.m., Texas Tech on Saturday at Noon and Central Arkansas on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. These will be the first meetings between Iowa and the visiting programs.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Matches will be streamed on B1G+.
• John Evans will provide the live play-by-play of the 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

• Iowa completed the season sweep of in-state rivals, taking care of Drake in straight sets on Wednesday.
• The Hawkeyes hit a season-high .367 against Drake.
• 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.
• Setter Jenna Meitzler leads the Big Ten in assists (406) and is second in assists/set (11.28).
• 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.
• Iowa is first in the conference with 14.58 kills/set and seventh with a .280 hitting percentage.
• The Hawkeyes are fifth in the Big Ten averaging 14.83 digs/set.

SCOUTING WEST FLORIDA

• West Florida is 6-1 in its first season as a Division I program, recently being handed its first loss to Tampa after a six game win streak to start the year. 
• Last season, UWF went 28-6, finishing 18-2 in its final year with the Division II Gulf South Conference.
• The 2026 ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll picked the Argonauts to finish eighth in their first year with the conference.
• Outside hitters Emily Breazeale, Kumara Flanagain and Talya Sampson drive the West Florida offense with over 50 kills each, recording 58, 57, and 54, respectively. 
• Senior setter Gabi Moulton directs the offense with 164 assists through seven matches, surpassing 3,500 career assists on Sept. 11 and ranking third all-time in program history.
• Earning both ASUN Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8, middle blocker Delaney Hanowell leads the Argonauts’ defense with 39 blocks.
• As a team, UWF hits .244 and holds its opponents to just .119.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH

• The Red Raiders begin their season 7-2, sweeping the Red Raider Classic with wins against UTRGV, Prairie View A&M and Portland State, and completing their homestand with a win over Tarleton State. 
• Texas Tech went 10-20 last season, going 2-16 in Big 12 play. 
• The Red Raiders were picked to finish last in the 2026 Big 12 volleyball preseason poll.
• Freshman outside hitter Sara Bowcutt leads the offense with 116 kills and was the first Tech player to record a 20-kill match this season.
• The Red Raider offensive pace is set by senior Katelyn Cochran, who averages 8.35 assists/set.
• Shelby Ignash is a force at the net with 44 blocks.
• The Red Raiders hit .210 and limit their opponents to .168. 

SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS

• Central Arkansas is 0-7 to start the 2026 season, losing two matches to Hawaii and dropping two more against Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss at the Rebel Classic.
• The Sugar Bears finished the 2025 season 18-12 and as champions of the ASUN.
• In its first season with the United Athletic Conference, Central Arkansas is picked to finish second. 
• The Sugar Bear offense is led by Sarah Carnathan with 45 kills. 
• Sophomore setter Tatelyn Brandsman has 109 assists and 5.74 assists/set. 
• On defense, McKinzee Haas leads Central Arkansas with 20 blocks. 
• The Sugar Bears are hitting .094 and allow opponents to hit .280. 

IN-STATE SWEEPS
Iowa won its in-state matches over Drake and Iowa State without dropping a set. The Hawkeyes handled Drake with a 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 victory on Wednesday, just over a week after sweeping Iowa State in Ames. Iowa out-hit Drake .367-.229 and commanded the net with nine blocks to Drake’s three. Hallie Steponaitis led Iowa's offense with 11 kills. The Hawkeyes' win over rival Iowa State on Sept. 8 was Iowa’s first win over the Cyclones since 2021. It was also the first over Iowa State 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.

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 has 97 kills and averages 3.03 kills per set, both of which lead the team. Mogridge also hits .365 and plays mostly in the middle but has taken some swings from the pin. Tomic has plenty of pop, smacking 71 kills in 34 sets played. She has 82 digs and averages 2.41/set. She has a team-leading three double-doubles this season, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.

SET THE TONE
Jenna Meitzler is the Big Ten's leader in assists (406) through 10 matches. She averages 11.28 assists per set, which is second in the league. Meitzler is coming off of a stellar performance against Drake, racking up 34 assists in the sweep of the Bulldogs. She helped Iowa hit at its highest percentage all season (.367) and her attackers were terminal on 53% of her attempts.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes host Milwaukee in their final nonconference tuneup on Tuesday. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside Xtream Arena.