Notes: USC/UCLA

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes wrap up their October homestand with matches against USC and UCLA. Iowa and USC meet on Thursday night. UCLA comes to town on Saturday evening. Both matches start at 6 p.m. inside Xtream Arena in Coralville.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Saturday's match will be televised on the Big Ten Network. University of Iowa alum Zach Mackey will be on the call with Allie Sczech. The weekend's opening match on Thursday 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.

TICKETS & PROMOS

• Tickets can be purchased on hawkeyesports.com or by visiting the Xtream Arena box office inside the main entrance. 
• Saturday's match is a Pink Out.

2026 HIGHLIGHTS

• Middle hitter Peyton Young made her second start of the season and sparked Iowa's offense with 10 kills against No. 6 Wisconsin.
• In her six matches since returning to the lineup, Carmel Vares has led Iowa in kills three times and has the second-most kills on the team with 50.
• Iowa is led offensively by middle hitters Liv Mogridge (213 kills) and Hannah Whittingstall (.371 in hitting percentage).
• Rosa Vesty's career-high 19 kills against Maryland are the most by a Hawkeye this season.
• Setter Jenna Meitzler leads the nation in assists (885) and is fourth in the Big Ten in assists/set (10.66). Her 57 assists against Mississippi State are 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.
• The Hawkeyes swept Iowa State on Sept. 8 and won in Ames for the first time since 1997.
• 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.
• Head Coach Jim Barnes won the 500th match of his coaching career in Iowa's win over UAlbany.

SCOUTING USC

• The Trojans are 8-10 and 2-6 in Big Ten play. USC dropped last weekend’s matches against Ohio State and No. 15 Penn State.
• The Women of Troy have a sweep of Northwestern and an upset road win over then-No. 15 Indiana.
• Outside hitter London Wijay and opposite hitter Abigail Mullen lead the Trojan offense with 187 and 178 kills, respectively. Both average more than 3.00 kills/set.
• Libero Taylor Deckert leads the defense with 223 digs.
• Middle blocker Mia Tvrdy is a strong presence at the net, leading USC with 83 blocks. She earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 21 after tying a Big Ten single-match record with 16 blocks against UCSB.
• The Trojans are fourth in the Big Ten with 180 blocks.
• As a team, USC has a .199 hitting percentage, while allowing opponents to hit .206.

SCOUTING UCLA

• UCLA is 15-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play. The Bruins’ Big Ten losses are to Michigan State and then-No. 18 Indiana.
• The Bruins take their five-match win streak to No. 1 Nebraska on Thursday before coming to Coralville.
• Middle blocker Marianna Singletary leads the team in both kills and blocks with 176 and 108, respectively. Her 108 blocks lead the Big Ten. She earned the Big Ten Player of the Week nod on Aug. 31.
• Outside hitter Maggie Li averages a team-high 3.30 kills per set and has totaled 175 kills this season.
• Kate Duffy orchestrates the Bruins’ offense by averaging 9.82 assists per set coming into the weekend.
• First Team All-B1G libero Lola Schumacher anchors the back row with 208 digs, but she has not played since UCLA’s match at Maryland on Oct. 9. Kat Lutz has stepped up for the Bruins.
• The Bruins are tied with Iowa atop the Big Ten with 191 blocks heading into the weekend.
• UCLA hits at a .253 clip, holding its opponents to .206.

LINEUP SHUFFLE
The Hawkeyes shook up their lineup in Sunday’s match with No. 6 Wisconsin. Second-year middle hitter Peyton Young made her second start of the season and provided a spark to the offense. Young hit .353 with 10 kills on 17 swings. She led the team with three blocks. Liv Mogridge moved to the outside and powered the offense with eight kills on 18 attacks while hitting a team-high .389. The Hawkeyes hit .223 as a team against the Badgers and were a scorching .405 in their second-set win.

CRUNCH TIME
Iowa wraps up its October homestand with a crucial set of matches against USC and UCLA. Thursday’s match against USC holds significant weight in the Big Ten standings as both teams are vying for a spot in the top 15 in order to qualify for the conference tournament. Currently, Iowa is in 16th at 1-7. USC is 2-6 and above the line in 15th. The Hawkeyes hold the tiebreaker over Rutgers (1-7 B1G) but do not own it over Ohio State (3-5 B1G) or Maryland (2-6 B1G), should Iowa find itself in a tie at season’s end. The Hawkeyes have a trip to Northwestern (0-8 B1G) coming up on Nov. 12.

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 159 kills. Estonian product Carmel Vares is in her second year with the program and has 148 kills so far. Either Tomic or Vares has been Iowa's kills leader in each of the last five matches. Fourth-year Rosa Vesty has taken a major step forward this season. The New Zealander averages 2.35 kills per set and is hitting .244. She has racked up 129 kills. Marichka Hoshylyk (Ukraine) is third on the team with 167 digs. Greta Schlichter (Germany) has played in 86 matches in over three years and will help support the back row. 

B1G AT ITS BEST
This week, eight Big Ten teams are ranked in the AVCA top 25. Nebraska is the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Wisconsin held at No. 6 after wins over the Hawkeyes and Maryland. Oregon broke into the top 10 at No. 10 following victories over No. 18 Indiana and Rutgers. Purdue (No. 12), Penn State (No. 16), Indiana (No. 18) and Minnesota (No. 20) round out the top 20. Washington fell one spot to No. 21 and completes the group of Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25. Illinois, Michigan State and UCLA are receiving votes. Seven of Iowa’s last nine opponents are ranked or receiving votes.

UP NEXT
Iowa hits the road and heads to the Pacific Northwest for matches with Washington and Oregon next weekend.