Following a dreadful 8-24 record in the 2023-24 season, the Iowa volleyball team has embraced a new, more successful dynamic in 2024-25, winning a Big Ten game for the first time since 2022.
Third-year head coach Jim Barnes has slowly worked to build the program up in arguably the toughest volleyball conference in America, and his hard work has seemed to pay off so far to begin the year.
Second-year Gabby Deery loves working with the coaching staff and has embraced the turnaround.
“It wasn’t the year that we had planned or the year we wanted, but this is a year for us to turn around the program,” Deery said. “We have the talent and the skill to turn this program around. We came out with two wins in the Big Ten, so that was great to see.”
Fourth-year Michelle Urquhart says the victories have served as a good momentum boost for the team.
“I think it was just a great start for us,” Urquhart, who recorded double-doubles against Maryland and Rutgers, said. “We prepared really hard all week to just go in there and give them a fight and pull off a win. I think it shows us how much progress not only the team has made, but the Iowa culture has made on the court.”
One of the key parts of the team’s success is the leadership of Barnes, whose coaching career includes a 2009 Sweet 16 run with Baylor. Barnes is especially proud of how Iowa won both of its Big Ten contests, with each coming in five sets.
“They’ve just been working so hard, so determined to get better and win games,” Barnes said. “We saw all that hard work really come together. We felt like we had the edge in both those matches, that we could’ve won them in four. The other teams fought back and pushed it to five. We were just proud of the way we competed and how we were just so determined.”
Deery credits the team’s satisfaction and results to hard work before the season even started.
“It felt really good,” Deery said. “We worked really hard in the summer and into preseason. Our preseason didn’t go as well as we hoped either, but we knew that we were going to have to turn it around fast. Both of those games going to five sets shows we were willing to put up a fight and fight until the final point. And we came out on top.”
As a fourth-year player, the success has produced a monumental impact on Urquhart.
“It means a lot,” Urquhart said. “I think, personally, it meant more because I was able, as a senior, to help set Iowa on a good track this year. I’m really just here for whatever the team needs me to be. I think that’s more my role, just that person on the court who’s going to be there and be a consistent head and just be there for whatever anybody needs.”
Barnes credits his players for coming together as a team and staying focused.
“I felt like we out-teamed them,” Barnes said. “Both teams had a player or two that was really carrying them and playing really well. I felt like we won because of our team efforts, everybody did their part.”
With plenty of opportunities in front of them, the Hawkeyes look to send a message to the rest of the conference.
“You’re going to see a lot more upsets,” Urquhart said. “That’s all I have to say.”