Notes: No. 13 Purdue/No. 6 Wisconsin

THIS WEEK
Iowa welcomes nationally-ranked Purdue and Wisconsin to Xtream Arena. The Hawkeyes and Boilers will meet on Thursday at 8 p.m. (CT). The Badgers come to town for a Sunday afternoon match at 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Both matches will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
• Chris Vosters and former Hawkeye Alyssa Klostermann will be on the call for the match against Purdue. Vosters and Allie Sczech are on the air for the contest with Wisconsin.
• 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.

TICKETS & PROMOS

• Tickets can be purchased on hawkeyesports.com or by visiting the Xtream Arena box office inside the main entrance. 
• Hawktoberfest is here! Buy a Tiger Hawk beer and pretzel for $10 at Thursday’s match against Purdue.
• Fans are encouraged to wear black to Sunday afternoon’s Black Out match with No. 6 Wisconsin. The match is part of the Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge.

2026 HIGHLIGHTS

• Second-year Carmel Vares has led Iowa in kills in two of the last three matches.
• Jaimie Marquardt matched a career-high with four aces against Michigan State.
• Iowa is led offensively by middle hitters Liv Mogridge in kills (195) and Hannah Whittingstall (.383) in hitting percentage.
• Rosa Vesty had a career-high 19 kills in Iowa's five-set match at Maryland.
• Setter Jenna Meitzler leads the nation in assists (809) and is fifth in the Big Ten in assists/set (10.64). Her 57 assists against Mississippi State were the third-most by a Big Ten setter this year.
• The Hawkeyes recorded 18.5 blocks against Milwaukee. That is the second-most blocks by a Big Ten team and most in a four-set match this season.
• Iowa completed the season sweep of in-state rivals, taking care of Drake in straight sets on Sept. 16. The Hawkeyes hit a season-high .367 against the Bulldogs.
• The Hawkeyes swept Iowa State on Sept. 8 and won in Ames for the first time since 1997.
• Head Coach Jim Barnes won the 500th match of his coaching career in Iowa's victory over UAlbany.

SCOUTING #13 PURDUE

• The Boilermakers are 10-5 and 3-3 in Big Ten play. They are on a two-match win streak, picking up victories against USC and No. 24 Illinois after a three-match skid.
  Purdue has sweeps of No. 8 SMU and No. 12 Texas A&M.
• All-American setter Taylor Anderson averages 10.32 assists per set and has totaled 547 through 15 matches.
• Outside hitter Addy Tindall earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Oct. 12. She leads the Boilermaker offense with 201 kills and hits at a .277 clip. 
• Libero Ryan McAleer commands the back row with 199 digs and 3.75 per set.
• As a team, Purdue ranks first in the Big Ten in digs per set, averaging 15.26. 
• The defense is driven by middle blocker Dior Charles, who has 53 blocks and earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week nod on Sept. 24. 
• Purdue has a .258 hitting percentage as a team, while holding opponents to .182.

SCOUTING #6 WISCONSIN

• Wisconsin is 11-5 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten. The Badgers have ranked wins over Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Minnesota, Oregon, Purdue and Texas A&M. 
• Wisconsin's only Big Ten loss came against top-ranked Nebraska. The Badgers take on Maryland on Friday.
• Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Oct. 10, Audrey Flanagan is Wisconsin’s leading offensive threat. She leads the team in kills and service aces with 176 and 21, respectively. 
• All-American setter Charlie Fuerbringer is fifth in the NCAA by averaging 10.97 assists per set. She earned Big Ten Setter of the Week honors on Sept. 21. 
• Defensively, freshman middle blocker Lynney Tarnow leads Wisconsin with 61 blocks.
• The Badgers lean on a freshman group that leads the team in kills, service aces, digs and blocks. 
• Overall, the Badgers hit at a .256 clip, while allowing opponents to hit .227.

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT
Five Hawkeyes hail from abroad. Three of Iowa’s leading pin hitters are international products. A native of Serbia, Ksenija Tomic leads the way from the outside with 139 kills. Estonian product Carmel Vares is in her second year with the program and has 130 kills so far. Fourth-year Rosa Vesty has taken a major step forward this season. The New Zealander averages 2.42 kills per set and is hitting .258. She has racked up 128 kills. Marichka Hoshylyk (Ukraine) is third on the team with 161 digs. Greta Schlichter (Germany) has returned to the lineup to support the back row. 

HOME SLATE AHEAD
Approaching the midway point of the Big Ten season, Iowa comes back to Xtream Arena after trips to Maryland and Penn State were followed by a swing to Michigan and Michigan State. At home, the Hawkeyes are 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten with a sweep over Rutgers. Iowa will play its next four matches at home against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes. After Purdue and Wisconsin visit, the Hawkeyes entertain USC (Oct. 22) and UCLA (Oct. 24). Both the Bruins and Trojans have spent time ranked in the top 25 this season.

B1G AT ITS BEST
This week, nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the AVCA top 25. Nebraska is the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Despite a loss to the Huskers, Wisconsin moved up to No. 6 in this week’s poll. Oregon continued its rise following a sweep of Michigan and Michigan State and is ranked 11th. Purdue (No. 13) and Penn State (No. 15) round out the top 15. Four teams make up the rest of the ranked teams in the league: No. 18 Indiana, No. 20 Washington, No. 21 Minnesota and No. 22 Michigan State. Illinois, UCLA and USC are receiving votes. Ten of Iowa’s last 11 opponents are ranked or receiving votes.

UP NEXT
Iowa hosts USC (Oct. 22) and UCLA (Oct. 24) for the second consecutive season. The matches will be played at Xtream Arena.