Fifth-year outside hitter Caitlan Buettner is adding much-needed experience to Iowa volleyball in 2023.

The Texas State transfer was a part of four 20-plus win seasons with the Bobcats. The Hawkeyes have not had a winning conference season in over two decades, but the 6-foot-2 outside hitter couldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten.

“The level of play in the Big Ten and the quickness of the game, honestly, each team is bigger and stronger and more competitive in my opinion,” Buettner told The Daily Iowan. “I want to pick up some skill sets that I probably couldn’t have picked up at Texas State.”

The El Paso, Texas, native started her volleyball career at 13 years old and graduated from Eastwood High School, where she compiled 1,360 kills, 855 digs, 200 blocks, and 78 aces in 415 sets. Buettner was named team captain for the Troopers in 2018 and was crowned the Class 2-5A District Most Outstanding Outside Hitter.

At Texas State, Buettner helped the Bobcats to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in her freshman and sophomore seasons and was a two-time Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament team selection under head coach Sean Huiet.

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Buettner led her squad with 15 kills in Texas State’s 3-1 victory over Utah Valley in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The victory marked the second NCAA Tournament win in Bobcat history. Buettner said she thinks she can positively impact the Hawkeyes with her experience playing in tournament settings and against teams from different conferences.

Huiet and Iowa associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Brian Yale both attended Bowling Green State University and played on the Falcons’ men’s volleyball club team. The pair has stayed in touch throughout their careers and are familiar with each other’s coaching style.

Knowing what training she had gone through under Huiet, Yale reached out to Buettner when she entered the transfer portal. When Buettner later visited Iowa City, she loved the campus. But what really stuck out to her was the family-like atmosphere Yale and the Hawkeye staff have built in their short time at Iowa.

“For me it was the team culture and the people here,” Buettner said. “Everyone here is really nice and really accepting, and that’s what really drew me in.”

Buettner arrived on campus at the start of spring semester with freshman setter Kaia Mateo, who hails from New York City. Yale said the pair meshed seamlessly with the rest of the squad from their first interaction and have expanded the Hawkeyes’ athleticism.

“It’s been a good transition thus far. They were both out doing their thing and bringing their own personalities and own game to our gym,” Yale said. “They stuck right in, and it kind of looked like they had been here for years, honestly.”

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The Hawkeyes will gain even more experience and athleticism on the court in 2023 with junior middle hitter Anna Davis. The Castle Rock, Colorado, product missed all of last season after tearing her left ACL on Feb. 22, 2022. Now at almost a year post-op, she is healthy and fully practicing with her teammates.

“Anna’s doing great. She’s an extremely hard worker, and we knew she would be back sooner than later,” Yale said. “She’s ready to get after it and be able to do more than just use her voice in the gym and be able to lead by example, which is a big thing in terms of her game. She had to learn to use her voice I think more than she was used to not being able to step on the court last fall, but it’s certainly going to make her a better player overall.”