The Iowa volleyball squad has found new opportunities to increase its offensive presence with the addition of first-year outside hitter Malu Garcia. Garcia, as of the conclusion of UW-Milwaukee’s Panther Invitational on Sept. 15, leads the team in kills with 83.
Coming off of a tough 20-game losing streak to end the 2023-24 campaign with a final record of 8-24, the volleyball program, led by head coach Jim Barnes, has used its offseason to do some serious reconstruction.
That involved the addition of multiple first-years, including Garcia, as well as players from the transfer portal.
Garcia, who hails from Hilo, Hawaii, has catapulted from a successful high school career — which included being named an Under Armour All-American — to the courts of the extremely competitive Big Ten conference.
Garcia said playing Big Ten volleyball is a way to bring pride to both Iowa and Hawaii.
“One goal for me is to show everyone that people from Hawaii can do it,” Garcia said. “Coming to a Big Ten school, I think you can make anything happen. My goal is to show everyone here on the mainland [in] the Midwest — we can make it happen, that Iowa is here to play ball.”
Despite only being a first-year player, Garcia loves the experiences associated with being on the team — and leading it in kills.
Garcia also loves that everyone on the team is very close both in and out of competitions, despite shake-ups across the roster.
“We’re a very new team,” Garcia said. “A lot of seniors transferred in the portal, so it’s a lot of new girls on the court. But overall, it’s great. Our connections are great. We have fun while we’re playing volleyball, and off the court too.”
Third-year head coach Jim Barnes believes Garcia plays with the utmost effort.
“When the whistle blows, she’s just a true competitor,” Barnes said. “She’s a baller. She can adjust to plays and has really good instincts. That’s allowed her as a freshman to really produce.”
One of Garcia’s fellow first-year players is setter Jenna Meitzler, the top-ranked setter in Illinois last year. Meitzler, who aided the Barrington High School Broncos in a 2020 state title grab, agreed that Garcia brings a lot of depth and leadership to the relatively new team.
“I think she brings good energy and is also someone who’s very dependable,” Meitzler said. “Especially as a setter, you like to send people you can depend on. She’s one of them, and she’s grown to be one of them. I also think we have a pretty young team, so it’s good to have such a young person act like they’re a fifth-year or a senior here.”
Meitzler, who also played with the Broncos on their way to two third-place state finishes in 2021 and 2022, admires Garcia’s confidence coming into college competitions.
“She’s a really confident person,” Meitzler said. “I remember, before we even got here, we were on our visit. I remember her mom coming up to me, and she was just like, ‘Jenna, if you ever need someone to set, you can set Malu. She’ll get there, she’ll get that ball.’
“That really shows on the court,” Meitzler added. “In the back of my mind, I can always depend on her. She has the confidence to play at a Big Ten level.”
Barnes agreed Garcia has a lot of skill to work with over her career.
“She was an All-American in high school, so she was high on a lot of people’s lists,” Barnes said. “We managed to get her to be a Hawk. She’s got a load of talent, and we’re hopeful she can maintain her consistency.”