Notes: at Northwestern/No. 1 Nebraska

THIS WEEK
Iowa heads into its final road trip of the season with visits to Northwestern on Thursday and No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday. The Hawkeyes meet the Wildcats in Evanston at 7 p.m. before heading to Nebraska for Saturday's match at 6 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Both matches will stream on B1G+.
• John Evans will provide live play-by-play 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

• Allison Berent earned the libero jersey heading into the Indiana match and set a career high with 17 digs against the Hoosiers.
• Liv Mogridge set a season-high hitting percentage of .667 with eight kills on 12 swings against #20 Washington on Oct. 30.
• Hannah Whittingstall served an ace in five straight matches spanning from the Wisconsin match to the Indiana match. She served three aces at #20 Washington.
• Iowa snapped a seven-match losing streak with its upset win over UCLA on Oct. 24.
• Rosa Vesty's team-leading and career-high 20 kills against UCLA were the most by a Hawkeye this season.
• Hannah Whittingstall is 10th in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.370).
• The Hawkeyes recorded 18.5 blocks against Milwaukee. That is the second-most blocks by a Big Ten team and the 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 a season sweep of its in-state rivals, taking care of Drake in straight sets on Sept. 16. The Hawkeyes hit a season-high .367 against the Bulldogs.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN

• Northwestern is 7-18 overall and 0-14 in the Big Ten.
• Outside hitters Mara Štiglic and Bella Bullington lead the Northwestern offense with 297 and 296 kills, respectively. Both average over 3.20 kills per set.
• Bullington recorded 20 kills on .326 hitting in the loss at Washington.
• The Wildcats are paced by first-year setter Ellie Stiernagle, averaging 9.39 assists per set.
• Defensively, sophomore Lauren Dignan averages 3.59 digs per set, while middle blocker Maya Stillwell has 75 blocks.
• Northwestern hits at .217, allowing opponents to hit .265.
• The Wildcats have won 9 of the last 10 meetings against Iowa.

SCOUTING #1 NEBRASKA

• The Huskers are 25-0 overall and 14-0 in conference play. Nebraska has been the top-ranked team all season.
• All-American outside Harper Murray averages a team-high 3.58 kills per set and leads the team with 272 kills. She was the Big Ten’s Player of the Week on Oct. 12.
• Two-time first-team All-American middle blocker Andi Jackson leads the Big Ten with a .464 hitting percentage. She has earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors twice, and was named the Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 26. Her 96 blocks are the most on the team.
• Senior All-American setter Bergen Reilly tops the Big Ten with 11.60 assists per set. She has earned three nods as Big Ten Setter of the Week and 17 for her career – which is tied for the second-most in conference history.
• As a team, the Huskers lead the Big Ten in hitting percentage at .346. They hold opponents to .116 – the lowest in the Big Ten.

BERENT EARNS LIBERO JERSEY
Since getting the nod at libero against Indiana, Allison Berent has maximized her opportunity. The fourth-year defensive specialist from Rochester Hills, Michigan, has averaged 5.33 digs per set in her two appearances at libero. She set a career high with 17 digs against the Hoosiers and followed that up with a 15-dig performance against No. 19 Minnesota on Sunday. Berent broke through the week prior at Oregon with 12 digs at the defensive specialist position. Her streak of three straight matches with double-digit digs is the longest such streak of her career.

LEADING THE CHARGE
Fourth-year middle hitter Hannah Whittingstall is the team’s leader in kills (257) and hitting percentage (.370). The San Antonio, Texas, native has started all 28 matches this season. She has finished with 10+ kills in 10 matches and set her season high with 16 kills against USC. Whittingstall has recorded the four highest hitting percentages on the team this season, including a team-high .750 clip against UAlbany. On the defensive side, Whittingstall is Iowa’s blocks leader with 98. Her eight blocks against Milwaukee helped the Hawkeyes to a season-high 18.5. Fellow middle hitter Liv Mogridge set a season high against Washington with a .667 hitting percentage. She led the Hawkeyes with eight kills against Minnesota on Sunday.

BREAKTHROUGH AGAINST THE BRUINS
Rosa Vesty’s career-high 20 kills pushed Iowa to a five-set win over UCLA on Oct. 24. The Hawkeyes dropped the first set before opening up a 2-1 lead heading to the fourth set. The Bruins forced a decisive set, where Iowa sealed the match with errorless offense and capitalized on four UCLA errors. Hannah Whittingstall supported Vesty with 15 kills, while Hallie Steponaitis and Ksenija Tomic each added 14. The win snapped a seven-match losing streak and was Iowa’s first-ever win against the Bruins. UCLA was receiving votes in the recent AVCA poll at the time.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Setter Jenna Meitzler is seeking to become the first Hawkeye to average 10 assists per set since Brie Orr in 2018.
• Meitzler is 156 assists away from 2,000 in her career as a Hawkeye.
• Middle hitter Hannah Whittingstall is four kills away from 700 in her career at Iowa.
• Outside hitter Ksenija Tomic picked up her 200th kill of the season in last Friday's match at Indiana.
• Outside hitter Hallie Steponaitis is 18 kills away from 200 on the season.
• Libero Allison Berent needs 33 digs to reach 200 on the season.
• Hannah Whittingstall is two blocks from 100 on the season. It would be her third straight season with 100+ blocks.
• Liv Mogridge needs seven blocks to reach 100 on the season. It would be the first time in her career surpassing 100 blocks.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes conclude their regular season on Senior Night against 25th-ranked Illinois on Nov. 17 at Xtream Arena. First serve is set for 6 p.m. (CT).