Coach Bond Shymansky made a point to have a more athletic team in 2015.

By Kyle Mann
[email protected]

When the volleyball Hawkeyes made their 2015 home début last weekend, they obviously had a great showing, going 3-0 in the Comfort Suites Challenge with wins over Milwaukee, Iowa State, and Texas A&M. But along with the impressive results, Hawkeye fans were treated to an observably improved display of athleticism.

The Hawkeyes have size but are not collectively huge, and at this point aren’t necessarily loaded with “top” recruits. While coach Bond Shymansky has quickly implemented a rejuvenated culture at Iowa along with his philosophies, he knew heading into last off-season that it would be essential to have a more athletic team.

Shymansky has seen results sooner rather than later with a lot of things in the program, and this is no exception.

“A lot of that is Zach Walrod, our strength coach, has done a good job,” Shymansky said. “A lot of people have commented that by the end of the Iowa State match that we looked like the more physical and athletic team, and that’s a great compliment to Zach and his crew down there in the weight room.”

Junior Lauren Brobst and sophomore Jess Janota had career nights in the match, posting 17 and 20 kills, respectively, on highly effective hitting percentages. Once the team hit a collective adrenaline rush to begin the second set, Iowa’s hitters seemed to begin rising and terminating with a ferocity unseen last season for such an extended period of time.

Both individually and observing her teammates, Brobst sees the Hawkeyes’ hard work during the off-season has paid off.

“We did a lot of squats and deadlifts and were in the gym three times a week working on our speed,” she said. “We have verticle monitors in practice and in games, and it’s really cool to see how much higher you jump.”

While the Cyclones struggled to adapt to the deadly duo, Shymansky unleashed his springy secret weapon, freshman Reagan Davey. She had appeared in the earlier match against Milwaukee, logging 7 kills, but literally exploded on to (and off of) the scene against Iowa State.

She posted 10 kills, making it clear along the way that she may just have a better vertical leap than certain Iowa basketball players. She then had 13 kills against ranked Texas A&M, giving the freshman 30 kills in three matches over the weekend, and even Shymansky was astounded by what he saw.

“We monitor every jump that they take during practice and in match play,” Shymansky said. “Reagan Davey went 38-inch vertical during the match … and we have several players going over 30 inches.”

Davey was unaware of her new personal best until Tuesday, but she vowed that her sights are now set on the fabled 40-inches.

“No big deal,” Davey said. “I got it.”

With his team now up to par athletically, it’s another mission accomplished for Shymansky. Furthermore, it’s another reason the Iowa squad is beginning to look like the one to put the Hawkeyes on the map.

Follow @KyleFMann for news, updates, and analysis of Iowa volleyball.