Iowa volleyball set for Big Ten weekend
The Hawkeyes have never defeated Michigan State during Bond Shymansky’s tenure, and they want to change that.
Courtney Buzzario hits the ball during Iowa’s match against Eastern Illinois on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won the match 3-0.
September 20, 2018
Michigan State will travel to Carver-Hawkeye for a volleyball matchup this evening.
The Spartans are riding a 12-match winning streak, its only loss coming in its first match of the season to Tennessee. Michigan State leads the Big Ten in service aces and has proved it can hit consistently. To wit, freshman Naya Gros leads the Big Ten in hitting percentage.
The Hawkeyes’ one clear advantage is in experience. The Michigan State squad graduated its entire starting lineup from last season, so many of its main contributors this season are underclassmen.
The players leading Iowa, both defensively and offensively, vary in age. Seniors Molly Kelly and Taylor Louis are two of the main contributors.
Their experience has been valuable, and that will be true against the Spartans.
“I think our seniors are ready to take on Michigan State Friday night,” head coach Bond Shymansky said. “That’s a team we have yet to knock off in Big Ten play since my time of coaching here, so I know this group’s really motivated to do that.”
The group is certainly capable of making a dent in the Big Ten. Iowa’s defense is a statistical leader in the Big Ten right now, and it is seeing offensive success behind the conference-leading 4.41 kills per set from Louis.
That, paired with the time put into practice, will help put the Hawkeyes on the right foot in conference play.
“[We will] definitely spend more time watching video just because we will have more video to watch from Big Ten opponents,” Kelly said. “As the season goes on, just focusing more on every single point one at a time to really dig into the mindset of defensive effort.”
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As competition heats up, there is a quick turnaround this weekend with a Sept. 23 match against Michigan.
This Wolverines are among the top teams in the country this year, coming into the weekend undefeated. The squad leads the Big Ten in digs per set and kills per set and is ranked No. 18 in the country.
There will be a different level of play for the Hawkeyes in the next few weeks, and they can feel the change in practice.
“There’s definitely a bigger level of intensity [in practice], because we know how we want to do in the Big Ten, we know who we want to beat and how we are going to do it,” sophomore Brie Orr said.
Shymansky’s Iowa teams have continually improved from his first season as head coach. One milestone he has yet to reach, though, is beating the Spartans. In addition to starting the conference schedule on a high note, the Hawkeyes really want that elusive victory over Michigan State.
