By James Kay
The Iowa volleyball team is heading west today to take on its toughest opponent yet.
The Hawkeyes will go up against a No. 1 Nebraska team that has been a mainstay at the top of the national ranks for the entire season.
While the Hawkeyes have been improving their game seemingly every week, Nebraska has many weapons at its disposal. Here are three important statistics for tonight’s match.
Average height for Nebraska’s frontline: 6-3
Alyssa Klostermann admitted two weeks ago that the Hawkeyes aren’t one of the taller teams in the Big Ten. Besides junior Jess Janota, Iowa’s three other players on the frontline are shorter than 6-3. Starters Lauren Brobst and Meghan Buzzerio are both 6-1, which will be tough for them when they face the trees that Nebraska possesses.
However, the Hawkeyes are capable of beating teams that are bigger than them. When No. 17 Purdue went into Carver-Hawkeye on Oct. 7, the Hawkeyes were able to maneuver around the Boilermaker frontline and beat them in five sets.
The key for them in that match was setting up their outside hitters from the opposite side of the court. Nebraska is third in the conference in blocks per set (2.92), so the Hawkeyes will need to find more ways to beat a team capable of blocking their attacks.
Nebraska ranks first in hitting percentage AND opposing hitting percentage
So far this season, the Hawkeyes’ biggest strength has been their five-headed attack on offense. Their counterparts for tonight’s match have held their opponents to a staggering .167 hitting percentage this season.
While they have plenty of weapons, the Hawkeyes have struggled with efficiency on offense their past few matches. Three weeks ago, the Hawkeyes had a .280 hitting percentage. As of tonight, they are hitting .252 after a rough loss to No. 11 Penn State.
If they have any chance at winning tonight, the Hawkeyes are going to need to be at their best on the offensive end.
Nebraska is 11-1 at home; Iowa is 3-5 on road
The Cornhuskers have been on a tear at home and have taken out nine of their 12 visitors in straight sets. At home, they are hitting .315 while holding their opponents to a .145 hitting percentage.
As for the Hawkeyes, they have struggled to get going against ranked opponents on the road; they are 0-4 against their conference foes when away from Carver-Hawkeye. In those matches, they have hit .198, .172, .103, and, in their most recent loss, .030.
It also doesn’t help that Nebraska attracts the most fans out of any other team in the conference. They average 8,206 fans per match, which is 2,241 more than the next best average in the conference (Wisconsin sits at 5,965). This will be the biggest crowd the Hawkeyes will play in front of all season.
While there are plenty of factors going against the Hawkeyes tonight, they do have two major upsets this year and almost pulled off a win against No. 3 Minnesota in a five-set thriller on Oct. 21.
The match will start at 7 p.m. tonight at Pinnacle Bank Arena.