Notes: Milwaukee

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes entertain Milwaukee on Tuesday in their final nonconference match. First serve is schedule for 6 p.m. inside Xtream Arena.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The match will be streamed on B1G+.
• 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 are on a season-long four match win streak after winning the Kwik Star Klassic.
• Iowa won its first five-set match of the season over West Florida on Sept. 18.
• Jenna Meitzler was the Kwik Star Klassic tournament MVP and Hannah Whittingstall was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Hallie Steponaitis and Ksenija Tomic were all-tourney picks.
• 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.
• Setter Jenna Meitzler leads the Big Ten in assists (526) and is third in assists/set (10.96).
• Jenna Meitzler's four double-doubles are good for fourth in the Big Ten.
• Iowa swept Iowa State on Sept. 8 and won in Ames for the first time since 1997.
• Iowa is third in the league with 14.23 kills/set and eighth with a .277 hitting percentage.
• The Hawkeyes are third in the Big Ten averaging 15.04 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 MILWAUKEE

• Milwaukee is 5-6 and has been a streaky team so far. The Panthers lost their first three, won their next five and are currently on a three-match losing streak. Milwaukee recently lost 3-1 to Wisconsin in Madison.
• The Panthers went 11-20 last season and finished fifth at 11-7 in the Horizon League. 
• Preseason polls picked Milwaukee to finish fourth in conference play.
• Senior Annie Eschenbach leads the team in kills with 114.
• Eschenbach earned both the St. Thomas Tommie Invitational Most Valuable Player and Horizon League Player of the Week honors earlier this season. 
• Setting the offensive pace for the Panthers is Milica Tomic, who leads the team with 216 assists.
• Bella Lipski and Josie Noble provide resistence at the net, recording 38 and 37 blocks, respectively. 
• Kati Goba averages 4.12 digs per set and has totaled 177 this year.
• The Panthers hit at a .196 clip, while allowing opponents to hit .241.

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.

SET THE TONE
Jenna Meitzler is the Big Ten's leader in assists (526) through 13 matches. She averages 10.96 assists per set, which is third in the league. Iowa is hitting .277 and averaging 14.23 kills per set – good for third in the league – with Meitzler orchestrating the offense. She was named the Kwik Star Klassic tournament MVP after dishing out 120 assists and helping Iowa hit .269 in their 3-0 weekend. The setter also found her offense and added 11 kills. Defensively, she had 21 digs and 15 blocks. 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.

MIDDLE U
Iowa boasts the most explosive middle-hitter attack in the country with Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall. The Hawkeyes are the only Power Four program to be led in kills by its top two middles. Mogridge has 128 kills through 12 matches. She averages a team-leading 2.91 kills per set. Mogridge is hitting an efficient .339 on a team-high 295 swings. Whittingstall, known for her effectiveness on the slide, is second on the team with 112 kills. She is hitting a blistering .392 on 237 attempts and averages 2.38 kills per set. Aside from being terminal, the duo also leads the way in blocking. Whittingstall has 53 blocks and gets 1.13 per set on average. Mogridge has 40 blocks, including five solo.

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
The Hawkeyes are well-represented from nations across the globe with five players coming to Coralville from overseas. Four outside hitters on Iowa’s roster are internationals. Carmel Vares is again a threat from the pin this season, averaging 2.49 kills per set and 97 total kills this season. The Tartu, Estonia, product is hitting .221 on 263 swings. Greta Schlichter is a fourth-year defensive specialist from Lathen, Germany. She has appeared in one match this season. Marichka Hoshylyk is from Novyi Rozdil, Ukraine, and has been steady in the back row, averaging 2.48 digs per set and 119 in total. She also has 22 kills this season. Rosa Vesty hails from Christchuch, New Zealand, and is the most improved Hawkeye. After appearing in just one match last season, Vesty has seen action in 11 matches and has made five starts. Ksenija Tomic comes to Coralville from Belgrade, Serbia, after spending her first season at Oregon. She has made 10 starts and is fifth on the team with 94 kills. 

TRANSFER PORTAL TREASURE
Iowa welcomed two transfers into the program this season. Middle hitter Liv Mogridge and outside hitter Ksenija Tomic are among the leaders in Iowa’s offense. Mogridge has 128 kills and averages 2.91 kills per set, both of which lead the team. Mogridge also hits .339 and plays mostly in the middle but has taken some swings from the pin. Tomic has plenty of pop, smacking 94 kills in 43 sets played. She has 85 digs and averages 1.98/set. She has three double-doubles this season.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes enter conference play, welcoming Ohio State on Friday and Rutgers on Saturday. Both matches begin at 6 p.m. inside Xtream Arena.