After 27 tries, the Iowa volleyball team was finally able to end its 26-game losing streak last season against Wisconsin.
Almost a year ago to the day, the Hawkeyes stunned then-No. 18 Wisconsin with a 3-0 sweep in their conference opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win was undoubtedly one of the biggest victories of the 2008 season.
Now, the two squads find themselves in well-charted territory. However, this time Iowa (8-4) takes to the road as it travels to Wisconsin (5-4) to kick off the Big Ten season on the Big Ten Network inside the Wisconsin Field House at 7 p.m.
The Hawkeyes are 17-39-1 all-time against the Badgers.
“Playing them again to start off the season is really exciting,” senior outside hitter Megan Schipper said. “You know, going to [the Badgers’] home court, it’ll be on the Big Ten Network. It’ll be really exciting and a really good match to play.”
The Hawkeyes possess an 8-1 road record. One of the reasons for team’s early success has been its defense.
Iowa stands atop the Big Ten in digs, averaging 17.36 per game, while senior libero Christina Meister leads the conference with 4.81 digs per set. The team hopes to carry over those statistics tonight in order to prevail.
“Digging and defense is going to be our big thing, and hitters being smarter and stepping up,” Schipper said. “Everyone’s individual play, along with team play, is going to be really important.”
Iowa recently traveled to West Point, N.Y., to compete in the West Point Classic on Sept. 18-20. The Hawkeyes went 2-1 in the tournament, dropping their lone match to Army in four sets.
However, heading into the matchup, the Hawkeyes knew Army would be a tough opponent. In hindsight, some of the players said the Black Knights were a good challenge before facing Wisconsin.
“I think we all felt it was better than the previous weekend,” junior setter Aimee Huffman said. “It gave us a chance to work out some smaller things that didn’t really go the best for us before. But I think we’re all pretty comfortable where we are and playing together now, so I think this [past] weekend was really beneficial.”
Second-year head coach Sharon Dingman fully believes her team is prepared to handle Wisconsin after tournament play.
“I know the team is ready,” Dingman said. “We’re ready to get in just a routine — teams we’re a little bit more familiar with and places we’re more familiar with.”
However, with five conference teams currently ranked in the Top 20, Iowa’s schedule doesn’t look to be anything other than exhausting. Big Ten dominance in volleyball is hardly anything new, but the Hawkeyes are hoping to make a run, starting Big Ten play with a win.
“I think we have to continue doing what we do well,” Dingman said. “We serve well, we block pretty decently, and we dig really well. I think ball control is going to be our bread and butter all year. But with that, I still think we need to be a little bit more efficient on offense — minimize our errors and really make Wisconsin earn points.”