Iowa Volleyball: Hawkeyes at Home for Final Two Matches of Season

Iowa (9-20, 3-15) finishes their season this weekend with two home matches. First up, Ohio State (14-16, 7-11) comes to town to play Friday night at 7 p.m. Then Iowa hosts Maryland (13-17, 5-13) at 7 p.m. on Saturday in their final match of the season.

From hawkeyesports.com:

SCOUTING OHIO STATE

• Ohio State is 14-16 overall and 7-11 in the Big Ten.
• The Buckeyes have lost four of their last five.
• Ohio State ranks second in the Big Ten with 15.69 digs per set.
• Iowa fell to Ohio State on Oct. 16 in Columbus
• Ohio State is coached by Geoff Carlston, who is in his 12th season.

SCOUTING MARYLAND

• Maryland is 13-17 overall and 5-13 in conference play.
• The Terrapins are on a three-game skid with losses to Purdue, Illinois, and Northwestern.
• Katie Myers ranks third in the conference with a .412 hitting percentage.
• Maryland is coached by Adam Hughes, who is in his second season.

Last week Iowa went on the road and lost to both Wisconsin on Friday and then to Minnesota on Saturday. Of their 15 conference losses, 11 of them were to ranked teams. The Big Ten is the premier volleyball conference in the country and if you aren’t in the top one or two tiers of teams, you’re going to take your lumps.

Stat Stuffers

Junior OH Griere Hughes has 299 kills on 757 total attempts (.225 hitting percentage) to lead the team. Due to injuries, sophomore OH Courtney Buzzerio took over some of the setting duties but is still second on the team with 283 kills on 748 attempts (.229 hitting percentage).

Junior DS Halle Johnston is leading the team with 484 digs.

Sophomore MB Hannah Clayton has 77 blocks (0.75 blocks per set) to lead the squad.

Freshman Emma Lowes shared setting duties with Buzzerio again this past week. She joins fellow freshman MB Rients and OH Kyndra Hansen, both from Minnesota, who have seen a lot more playing time as the season has progressed and are stepping up for the Hawkeyes. The experience that these young players are accumulating will pay dividends in future years.

Upcoming Schedule

Friday, November 29: Iowa vs. Ohio State at 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 30: Iowa vs. Maryland at 7 p.m.

• Friday’s match will be the final Friday 4 Pack of the season. Fans must purchase tickets prior to the day of the match.
• Saturday’s match is senior night. Seniors Meghan Buzzerio and Emily Bushman will be honored before the match.

How to Follow Along

• Live stats for each contest are linked on the team’s schedule page or on hawkeyesports.com/vblive.
• Live audio of this weekend’s matches are available on Hawkeye All-Access with John Evans on the call.
• A live stream of this weekend’s matches are available on BTN+ or FloVolleyball (subscriptions required).

Summary

While the season didn’t go as planned in terms of the number of wins, Iowa had some good things that have happened in 2019 that will set them up to be in a better place next season.

• A new head coach that will be in Iowa City for a while in Vicki Brown.
• Lots of playing time for numerous freshmen as a result of injuries throughout the team.
• A strong recruiting class for 2020.

Although Iowa won’t be making the playoffs, they are a young team with potential as shown in the five set loss at Nebraska. If you can make either (or both) match this weekend, go out and give them your support.