The Iowa volleyball program has found a burst of energy with a new team dynamic combining many new faces with a few key returning players from last year.
The Hawkeyes finished the 2023-24 season on a 20-game losing streak, finishing with a dismal final record of 8-24.
But Iowa was determined to rebuild and paired inexperienced yet talented athletes, with veteran leadership from the transfer portal and within the program to turn the team around.
The result has been a success so far, as the Hawkeyes are off to a solid 4-1 start with victories over Liberty, Providence, Delaware, and Cal Baptist.
Third-year Head Coach Jim Barnes credits his squad for helping the program grow in the rugged Big Ten.
“We’re a very new group, and a lot of people put their trust in coming here and helping build this program,” Barnes said. “I just love building a team and helping them learn how to work together, pull together, and make each other better.”
One player that has been a crucial piece of the rebuild is fourth-year Gracie Gibson, a transfer from Lafayette. Gibson started all 24 matches for the Leopards in 2023-24, logging 156 kills and 85 blocks.
Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Gibson knows that the team’s support for one another is a key part of their success.
“I think everyone supports each other just about more than any team I’ve ever been on,” Gibson said. “Whether we’re winning, losing, practice, games, no matter what it is, I know that there’s always a ton of people on the team that can lift you up no matter what’s going on. Everyone’s super positive.”
Gibson and the other transfers are only a portion of the team’s new additions, as the Hawkeyes added nine freshmen to the roster. First-year Jaimie Marquardt loves how the team always has each other’s backs.
“We’re always supporting each other,” Marquardt said. “If someone messes up on the court, I have trust in them that they’re going to get the next ball. I think trusting each other and having that good team chemistry is something that we’ve been doing.”
Barnes interprets much of the team’s success as a result of its hard work and unique players, including third-year setter Claire Ammeraal who recently crossed the historic threshold of 2,000 career assists during a win over Providence on Aug. 31.
“We play with a lot of effort, and we’ve got an unorthodox team with a setter that can be so offensive,” Barnes said. “We’re able to do some things other teams don’t normally see. We’ve got some leverage there. We just [have] to be more consistent.”
Gibson, who tallied seven kills in the Puerto Rico Clasico, agrees that the team can get better by working on its consistency.
“We have some highs and lows right now,” Gibson said. “I think we can get a little bit more consistent and keep the highest level that we can play at throughout the game. I think our energy right now is good. We have a lot of people on the bench that are super supportive and always bring all the energy, which translates to the court.”
Marquardt enjoys learning from the more experienced members of the team while also contributing big plays.
“They have a ton of experience,” Marquardt said. “We have a young team, so just being able to learn from the older players and their experience coming into collegiate volleyball is a super valuable thing for us.”