Notes: Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series at Iowa State

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes travel to in-state rival Iowa State on Tuesday for the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk match. First serve is at 6:30 inside Hilton Coliseum.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
• 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

• 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.
• Jenna Meitzler leads the Big Ten with 12.17 assists/set and is second with 219 assists.
• Liv Mogridge is 14th in the Big Ten with 63 kills.
• Marichka Hoshylyk notched a double-double in the win over UAlbany, posting career highs with 17 digs and 11 kills.
• Iowa's left sides combined for 19 kills in the sweep of Sacred Heart. Carmel Vares tallied 11 and Ksenija Tomic had eight. 
• Iowa brings back 13 letterwinners from last season's team. Four newcomers, including two transfers and two first-years, make up the rest of the roster.
• After the match with Iowa State, the Hawkeyes will play 10 consecutive matches at home.

SCOUTING IOWA STATE

• Iowa State is 4-1 with wins over Loyola, UCSB, UNI and Utah State. The Cyclones' loss came against Georgia Tech.
• The Cyclones are receiving votes in the Sept. 7 AVCA Top 25 poll.
• Iowa State finished 23-8 in 2025 and won one match at the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by Minnesota.
• Outside Nayeli Ti’a is Iowa State’s leading offensive threat with 72 kills and 4.00 kills per set. She played against Iowa in 2024 as a member of San Jose State’s program and was the Hawkeye Invite tournament MVP.
• Setter Ava Martin averages 11.06 assists per set and has recorded 199 assists through five matches.
• Libero Rachel Van Gorp has 80 digs and averages 4.44 per set. She’s also tied for the team lead with four aces.
• Opponents are out-blocking Iowa State so far this year, 40-34.5.

LAST TIME OUT
Iowa dropped both matches of the 2026 Allstate Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge, falling in Starkville to Alabama and Mississippi State. The Hawkeyes opened the week against hosts Mississippi State and traded jabs with the Bulldogs before bowing out in four sets. Iowa fell behind 2-0 via two-point set losses to open the match. Down four match points in the third set, Ally Berent sparked a comeback from the service line and forced a fourth set. The Bulldogs ultimately held off Iowa's comeback attempt and took the opening round of the challenge. Iowa returned the following day for a neutral site matchup against Alabama. The Crimson Tide hit well above .300 and controlled the match, winning in four sets. 

MIDDLE U
Iowa’s offense thrives in the middle with veteran middle hitters Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall. Through two weeks of play, the duo has combined for 117 of the team's 266 kills. Whittingstall has the team lead in hitting percentage at .500 and is fourth in the league among hitters with over 50 attempts. Mogridge is second on the team at .430. Mogridge paces the team with 63 kills and 3.50 kills/set. Whittingstall is second in both categories with 54 kills and 3.00 kills/set. The two team up at the net with Mogridge leading the team with 18 blocks, while Whittingstall has 16. 

SET THE TONE
Third-year Jenna Meitzler takes the reigns at the setter position this fall after the graduation of Claire Ammeraal. Through five matches, Meitzler has two double-doubles and a career-high performance against Mississippi State with 57 assists. The Barrington, Illinois, native entered the season with plenty of experience. In 2024, Meitzler appeared in 24 matches following Ammeraal’s injury, and tallied 709 assists, 143 digs, 55 blocks and 18 aces. Last season, Meitzler played in 13 matches and recorded 48 assists. Coming out of high school, Meitzler was the top-ranked setter from the state of Illinois by PrepDig Volleyball. She was a second-team AVCA High School All-American as a senior. Additionally, Meitzler was first-team all-state and the Mid-Suburban League Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Meitzler's connection with middles Liv Mogridge and Hannah Whittingstall has produced 44% of the team's kills.

IMPACT TRANSFERS
Coach Barnes picked up two commitments from power four transfers during the offseason. Middle hitter Liv Mogridge will play her fifth season in Coralville after spending time at North Carolina and Georgia Tech. So far, she leads Iowa in kills through 18 sets. As a freshman at North Carolina, Mogridge played in all 29 matches and made 28 starts. Mogridge spent the next three seasons at Georgia Tech, where she helped the Yellow Jackets reach the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and 2024. Mogridge played in six matches last season before redshirting. She joined the program with 482 kills, a .323 hitting percentage, 246 blocks and 125 digs in four seasons. Second-year Ksenija Tomic comes to Coralville after playing in 17 matches for Oregon a season ago. She tallied 61 kills in 49 sets and had a season-high .421 hitting percentage against Portland State. In 2026, Tomic has the third-most kills among outsides.

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.

UP NEXT
Iowa hosts the Hawkeye Invitational and welcomes Southern Illinois, Incarnate Word and Missouri State to Xtream Arena Thursday through Saturday.