The Hawkeye volleyball team will travel west for a weekend full of sets (not setbacks, they hope) to compete in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Seattle.

Iowa will begin the weekend against No. 13 Washington at 10 p.m. today (CDT) and conclude the weekend against No. 21 Colorado at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Focusing on one team at a time, the squad has been studying the ins and out of Washington.

“This past week, we have just been studying a little bit of film, watching the rotations, and really studying the scouting reports,” senior Taylor Louis said. “We’re [focusing on] their rotations so by the time we get on the court to play them, we know them very well.”

The only previous meeting between Iowa and Washington favored the Huskies in 1991 (the Huskies also beat the Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl that year).

Washington finished its 2017 season with only eight losses and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Washington started this season with notable 3-1 and 3-0 wins over then-No. 14 San Diego, and it ranks eighth in the nation in blocks.

With an entire week to prepare, the Iowa front row has focused heavily on offensive strategies.

“We’ve definitely been making accommodations to work around their taller block,” Louis said.

Defensively, good block setups and closes should bolster the team’s competitiveness against Washington.

The Buffaloes will be another strong opponent for the Hawkeyes. Colorado finished its first weekend, 2-1, with wins over Oral Roberts and North Florida and a loss to Wyoming. Iowa trails 0-1 in its all-time series with Colorado.

Justine Spann leads the Buffaloes offensively with 41 kills and a .333 attack percentage. The junior averaged 3.42 kills and 1.83 digs per set in the first weekend, ranking second on the team.

Sophomore setter Brynna DeLuzio has supported the team offensively, chalking up 96 assists, an average of 8 per set.

Close to that for Iowa is setter Brie Orr, averaging 8.92 assists per set and supporting a .251 hitting efficiency.

“I know that if I get my hitters a good ball, they are able to have way more options, so then they are able to get kills,” she said.

The sophomore wants to contribute more than assists to Iowa’s offense.

“I’m focusing really hard on being offensive so it keeps the middle on the other side kind of waiting a second before they [transition] in case I attack the ball,” she said.

Knowing defense is just as important to the team’s success, Orr has also worked to contribute touches off the net.

Louis and Orr both believe the freshmen have begun to play key roles, and they would like the newbies to be more involved on the court.

Freshman middle hitter Hannah Clayton racked up 18 blocks last weekend, 35th in the nation and third in the Big Ten.

Following the leadership of senior Reghan Coyle, Clayton has found a way to support the 24th-ranked defense in the NCAA.

“Reghan has done a really good job with leading our middles,” Louis said. “She did a really good job with the incoming freshmen and teaching them our techniques and our blocks.”

As a team, Iowa volleyball tries to never lose its focus, which will carry into the weekend.

“It’s more about staying on the team mission, ‘True Mental Toughness,’ taking it day-by-day and point-by-point,” Louis said. “Again, focusing on things we can control and slowing up the pace of the game when it gets chaotic. Our No. 1 thing, day in and day out, is staying on the team mission.”