Notes: Hawkeye Invitational

THIS WEEK
Iowa opens a 10-match homestand and starts as hosts of the Hawkeye Invitational at Xtream Arena. Iowa welcomes Southern Illinois on Thursday and Incarnate Word on Friday. Both matches begin at 6 p.m. The Hawkeyes wrap up the weekend against Missouri State on Saturday at 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The 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 swept Iowa State on Tuesday and won in Ames for the first time since 1994.
• The Hawkeyes knocked off the Cyclones via sweep for their first win in the series since 2021.
• Setter Jenna Meitzler leads the Big Ten in assists (254) and assists/set (12.10) through 21 sets played.
• Middle hitter Liv Mogridge is fifth in the Big Ten with 70 kills.
• Iowa is first in the conference with 14.62 kills/set and sixth with a .288 hitting percentage.
• 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.

TICKET INFORMATION
Fans with an Iowa football ticket to Saturday's game against Iowa State can attend the match against Missouri State for free by presenting it to ticket personnel at Xtream Arena. Single-match and season tickets are on sale and can be found on hawkeyesports.com. Reserved seating is available.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

• The Salukis are 5-1 with wins over SEMO and Merrimack and the Lion Invitational title in Commerce, Texas. Southern’s lone loss came to Saint Louis.
• Southern Illinois finished last season 13-17 and 7-9 in conference play.
• The Salukis were picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll.
• Senior opposite hitter Ella Swansiger leads the attack with a team-high 71 kills. She notched eight in the loss to Saint Louis.
• Leading setter Ella McFarland averages 5.20 assists/set, followed by freshman Lillian Dempkey, who averages 4.88 assists/set. 
• Middle blocker Chloe Anderson leads the Salukis with 26 blocks.
• As a team, Southern Illinois hits .212, while holding its opponents to .188.
• Last week, Anderson and senior Jillian Shaneyfelt earned all-tournament team distinction at the Saluki Bash tournament.

SCOUTING INCARNATE WORD

• Incarnate Word starts its season 1-3, with a win over Tarleton State and losses to Houston, LSU and UTSA. 
• The Cardinals were 17-13 in the 2025 season, finishing 12-4 in the Southland Conference and posting one of their most successful seasons in program history.
• Senior outside Kitana Tu'ufuli leads the team with 43 kills. 
• Junior Calissa Allison runs the offense and paces the team with 92 assists.
• Earning honorable mention for Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week, junior middle blocker Vanessa Eregie recorded 23 kills and averaged 2.56 per set during matches against UTSA and Tarleton State.
• Incarnate Word is hitting .199 this season, while allowing opponents to hit .253. 

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE

• The Bears are 4-2 to begin the 2026 season with a recent weekend sweep at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational in Springfield. Missouri State has losses to Stephen F. Austin and Wichita State.
• Missouri State went 12-17 last season and 6-10 in the CUSA.
• Preseason polls picked the Bears to finish sixth overall in their second year in the CUSA. 
• Preseason all-CUSA selection Hannah Gardner is a leader on all sides for the Bears.
• The sophomore is one of four Division I players with at least 50 kills, 100 assists and 45 digs to start the season. 
• Leading the team in kills is junior outside hitter Rilynn Finley with 64 total kills.
• Halle Rillie and Hannah Gardner team up and have 113 and 104 assists, respectively, for the Bears through six matches.
• Ranked first in the CUSA and 19th nationally in digs per set is senior Brooke Eslinger, averaging 4.76. She is 53 digs away from 1,000 in her career. 
• Missouri State hits .242, holding its opponents to .197.

LAST TIME OUT
Iowa silenced in-state rival Iowa State on Tuesday night in Ames in front of 4,665 fans. The Hawkeyes controlled the match in a straight-sets victory 25-20, 25-21, 25-23. It was Iowa’s first win over Iowa State since 2021 and first in Ames since 1994. Ksenija Tomic led the attack with 10 kills and was followed by fellow outside Carmel Vares, who recorded nine. The Hawkeyes’ defense improved in its return to the floor, blocking seven attacks and forcing 18 total errors from Iowa State. The Hawkeyes applied consistent pressure and hit .287 while holding Iowa State to .230.

BALANCED ATTACK
Iowa’s offense has been balanced through six matches this season. Single-match kill leaders have toggled between middles and outsides so far. Liv Mogridge has led the attack three times, while Ksenija Tomic has led the team in kills twice. Hannah Whittingstall’s 15 kills against UAlbany paced the Hawkeyes. Setter Jenna Meitzler has found each of her offense weapons regularly, averaging a Big Ten-best 12.10 assists/set. Iowa’s 14.62 kills/set tops the Big Ten and its .288 hitting percentage is sixth.

UP NEXT
Iowa continues its homestand with a midweek matchup against Drake on Sept. 16. The match starts at 8 p.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. John Evans will provided the play-by-play on the Hawkeye Radio Network.