Challenging conference schedule lies ahead for Iowa volleyball
The Hawkeyes concluded non-conference play against Iowa State, and now look forward to facing Big Ten opponents.
Iowa defensive specialist Halle Johnston dives for the ball during a volleyball match between Iowa and Washington at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, September 7, 2019. The Hawkeyes were defeated by the Huskies, 3-1.
September 24, 2019
Another thrilling edition of the Cy-Hawk volleyball series concluded Iowa volleyball’s 2019 non-conference schedule. While the Hawkeyes were unable to win, the match helped prepare them for the start of Big Ten play.
“Those types of games really expose the things we need to do better as a team,” Junior Halle Johnstonsaid . “As much as it is such a hard loss for us, it really shows us what we need to work on and helps prepare us for future matches.”
Teaching moments such as those the Iowa State match provided will assist the Hawkeyes a great deal in the coming weeks.
Iowa will begin conference play this weekend with a trip to a neighboring state. The Hawkeyes will head to Evanston, Illinois, on Friday to face Northwestern. Saturday, the Hawkeyes will find themselves in Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini.
Iowa’s path to the NCAA tournament will undoubtedly get tougher from this point forward. The Big Ten Conference boasts six teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25. Nebraska, Penn State, and Minnesota are all ranked inside the top 10.
“We want to get better every week,” setter Brie Orr said. “We really just want to get one of these big victories for us and start going from there.”
The Hawkeyes picked up an impressive win over Washington State earlier this season. The Huskies were ranked 22 at the time of the match by the AVCA but have since fallen out of the top 25.
Résumé building wins over teams such as Washington State will be critical for the Hawkeyes’ NCAA tournament aspirations this season. Currently, Iowa is 1-1 in games against AVCA ranked teams. Big Ten play will provide no shortage of résumé builders for the Hawkeyes.
After playing Northwestern, the Hawkeyes will see three ranked teams in a row: Illinois, Minnesota, and Penn State. Iowa’s schedule also puts the team up against the remaining AVCA ranked teams in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes will see ranked foes such as Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, and Penn State twice on the season. In total, the Hawkeyes have 10 games scheduled against ranked opponents this season.
“I think we’re progressing pretty well,” head coach Vicki Brown said. “RPI wise, we’re at 40 right now, so that’s still contenders for NCAAs. The Big Ten is always going to be your true adversary when it comes to getting to the NCAA tournament.”
The remaining schedule standing between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the NCAA Tournament is difficult. The road will be long, and infinitely challenging for the Hawkeyes.
“It’s just about knowing that that’s the goal,” Brown said. “There’s so much season in between now and getting to the NCAAs. You have to take it game by game.”
This gritty Hawkeye team is poised to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth. If the Hawkeyes grab a few more résumé-building wins, they will likely find themselves in the NCAA tournament come December.