Iowa faces No. 4 Nebraska to open Big Ten play.

By Kyle Mann
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The Iowa volleyball team sits at 10-3 after making a name for itself in the nonconference portion of the schedule. But the Hawkeyes want to prove their legitimacy in the Big Ten; they open conference play against No. 4 Nebraska today in Carver-Hawkeye.

The Hawkeyes have never beaten the Cornhuskers in 22 meetings since the series began in 1977, but after a string of impressive victories in recent weeks, Bond Shymansky’s new-look Hawkeyes enter this matchup with a mindset previously unseen in the Iowa program.

“When you see it on a team, you just see it, and there could be no better indicator to me than not just how we beat Iowa State, but more importantly, how we turned around and beat Texas A&M the very next night,” Shymansky said. “A ranked, top-25 team, and we just expected to win.”

After a statement win two weeks ago, skeptics claimed they needed to follow with a strong showing at home again last weekend. Sure enough, the Hawkeyes dominated, winning four matches without dropping a single set.

“I have not seen that in our group, and then you saw it again this past weekend,” Shymansky said. “All four matches we just expected to win, and we would take nothing less than winning.”

The Hawkeyes now have an eight-match winning streak, the program’s longest since 2006, and they are receiving votes in the coaches’ poll. Technically speaking, the team’s 24 votes would place it at 31st in the country.

Knowing where the program is coming from, the Hawks don’t hide that they keep an eye on the poll and use it as motivation. Senior leader Mikaela Gunderson is eager to keep building the team’s résumé and believes a victory over the Cornhuskers would put the Hawkeyes over the top.

“We know it’s changing, and people around us know that Iowa volleyball is changed, and this would be a great statement to come out with a W,” she said. “If we come out and play Iowa volleyball, we’ll be fine. I think that would really push us over the edge into the top 25.”

One can assume Gunderson would be right. The Huskers are considered the second-best team in the Big Ten behind national-title favorite Penn State, and they come with a loaded corps of hitters. Fortunately for Iowa, there should be some opportunities for favorable matchups.

The Cornhuskers are second in the Big Ten in digs but reside in the lower half in blocks. Iowa hitters Lauren Brobst and Jess Janota should have some clean looks at powerful swings, and it will be on them to be terminal with their chances.

There are stark stylistic differences between the two teams, but the Hawkeyes feel good about their preparation and could surprise Nebraska if they are truly the wild card in the Big Ten that they appear to be.

“Every single one of us in this program, every single time we step on the court, we expect to win,” setter Loxley Keala said. “That’s a great expectation for us to have, because it’s what’s gotten us through every match so far. It keeps us motivated and keeps us hungry; coming in as the underdog, we have absolutely nothing to lose. We just have to play like it, work hard, and dominate.”

First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye.