Iowa City Today

Iowa Hawkeyes women’s volleyball team will begin its Big Ten conference play this week, hosting Maryland on Thursday and No. 7 Wisconsin on Sunday at Xtream Arena. The match against the Terrapins is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (CT), while Sunday’s contest versus Wisconsin, designated as a Gold Out event, starts at 2:00 p.m.

Both matches will be available to stream on B1G+. Fans can also listen to broadcasts via the Hawkeye Radio Network on YouTube with John Evans providing commentary. Live statistics are accessible through the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com, and updates will be posted on Iowa Volleyball's social media and news sections of their website.

The Hawkeyes recently concluded nonconference play with wins over East Texas A&M and Lindenwood, bringing their out-of-conference victory total to nine—their highest since 2014. Of those nine wins, seven were achieved by sweep. Key players have made significant impacts: Milana Moisio leads the Big Ten in digs with 166; Aleksandra Stojanovic holds the second-highest hitting percentage in the league at .472; Hannah Whittingstall ranks third in blocks with 55; and Claire Ammeraal is third in assists with 392.

Chard’e Vanzandt was named MVP of the Hawkeye Invitational after recording 22 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. She is now just 12 kills away from reaching 1,000 career kills. Iowa also swept Butler, Illinois State, and Loyola Chicago during the Kwik Star Klassic and began their season with a six-match winning streak—the program's best start since 2009.

Against Maryland, Iowa faces a team that finished nonconference play at 7-3 overall and is currently even on the road at 2-2. Their previous meeting went five sets, ending in an Iowa win last season in College Park. Duru Gökçen leads Maryland defensively with 57 blocks—second most in the Big Ten—and was recently named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after posting strong performances over three matches. Eva Rohrbach has also contributed significantly to blocking efforts for Maryland, while Ajack Malual leads offensively with 143 kills (fifth in league rankings). Ally Williams supports Maryland’s defense as she sits third among Big Ten players for digs.

Maryland head coach Adam Hughes enters his eighth season holding a record of 109-112.

Wisconsin comes into Big Ten competition ranked seventh nationally with a record of 7-1. The Badgers’ schedule includes victories over several ranked opponents such as Kansas (#14), Florida (#15), and Georgia Tech (#21). Mimi Colyer leads Wisconsin’s offense with a league-best average of over five kills per set (139 total). Charlie Fuerbringer orchestrates playmaking duties for Wisconsin and leads all Big Ten setters in assists per set; both she and Carter Booth have received weekly conference honors for recent performances.

Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield begins his thirteenth season having led his team to consistent NCAA tournament success—including four Final Four appearances—and has amassed a record of 318-68.

Four Hawkeyes are among the top five statistically within their respective categories entering conference play: Moisio (digs leader), Stojanovic (second in hitting percentage), Whittingstall (third in blocks), and Ammeraal (third in assists).

International student-athletes continue to contribute strongly for Iowa—freshman Carmel Vares has notched nearly one hundred kills while maintaining solid efficiency; Stojanovic continues her high-percentage attack along with notable blocking numbers; Marichka Hoshylyk aided Iowa’s win over Butler earlier this season; Greta Schlichter has added depth defensively.

Senior setter Claire Ammeraal remains central to Iowa's balanced offense through twelve matches—she was MVP at both early-season tournaments and earned all-tournament honors more recently. In addition to her assist totals, Ammeraal leads all conference setters in kills recorded so far this year.

Iowa's offensive strategy leverages multiple options: Chard'e Vanzandt currently tops kill totals but is closely followed by Carmel Vares, while freshman Gia McGrew has shown promise off the bench alongside regular contributions from Whittingstall, Stojanovic, and setter Ammeraal herself.

Six teams from the Big Ten appear in this week’s AVCA Top 25 poll—including Nebraska at No.1 overall—with Purdue moving up to No.10 alongside other ranked conference rivals Minnesota (No.12), Penn State (No.15) and USC (No.17).

After hosting Maryland and Wisconsin this weekend, Iowa will travel westward next week for matches against Oregon on Friday night followed by Washington on Saturday evening—the latter game airing live on Big Ten Network.