The Iowa women’s volleyball team concluded their 2024-25 campaign on Friday with a loss to No. 20 USC. The Hawkeyes finished the season 10-22 overall and 4-16 in Big Ten play.
Despite the dim record, the season still showed marked improvement, as Iowa’s four conference victories were its most in two seasons.
Without further ado, here are their season grades.
Setting: A
Iowa’s setting skills made a big impact this year, with third-year setter Claire Ammeraal’s achievement of 2,000 career assists in just the second game of the season being a prime example. With Ammeraal and first-year Jenna Meitzler sharing time on the court this season, the Hawkeyes logged 1,313 assists against opponents. Ammeraal credited the offense as a whole for the team’s high figures, as well as her own.
“You can only get assists if your hitters are getting kills,” Ammeraal said. “It’s good to know that I’m putting people in good positions.”
Iowa head coach Jim Barnes praised Ammeraal, a Central Michigan transfer, for providing a strong presence on offense.
“I really enjoy training setters and especially offensive setters,” Barnes said. “Claire is the most offensive setter in the country, so there’s kind of a match made in heaven.”
Barnes equally praised Meitzler, who stepped into a major role following Ammeraal’s injury early in the season.
“She’s comfortable in competitive situations,” Barnes said. “That’s what has allowed her to be successful as a freshman. It’s not something she’s not used to. She’s used to being in high-pressure situations. In fact, she thrives in them.”
Both Ammeraal and Meitzler are set to return for next season, giving Iowa more building blocks as this program attempts to gain relevance in the Big Ten.
Attacking: C
Iowa’s attacking numbers leave room for growth, despite the strong performances of several athletes this season. Six Hawkeyes fell in the triple digits range for kills this year, including their leader, first-year Malu Garcia, who finished the season with 278 kills.
Barnes noted Garcia as a high prospect on several programs’ lists, but Iowa managed to recruit the first-year from Hawaii.
“She really competes hard, so when the whistle blows, she’s just a true competitor,” Barnes said. “She’s a baller. She can adjust to plays, has really good instincts. That’s allowed her as a freshman to really produce.”
Another standout this season was fourth-year Michelle Urquhart, who finished the season just behind Garcia with 266 kills. Urquhart also set Iowa’s single-season service aces record during the season’s penultimate game against Big Ten newcomer UCLA, with 42 aces by the end of that match.
Fellow fourth-year Anna Davis, who logged 27 kills this season, praised Urquhart as a teammate.
“It’s awesome playing with her every game,” Davis said. “She brings a really competitive edge, experience. Everything she does brings a good, commanding but calming presence at the same time.”
Other high-scoring Hawkeyes this season included second-year Hannah Whittingstall, a transfer from SMU who collected 214 kills, and fourth-year Gracie Gibson, a transfer from Lafayette College who accumulated 197 kills.
While Iowa’s individual hitters put up high figures, the Hawkeyes were out-killed by opponents 1,534-1,440 this season, leading to critical Big Ten losses, namely a 3-1 defeat to Illinois on Oct. 27.
Defending: B
Iowa’s defense allowed some pushback early on in contests against teams such as Drake, Iowa State, and UW-Milwaukee. The same defense, however, won several close contests this season as well, including two 3-2 wins over Rutgers and Maryland to start conference play.
In the area of digs, a key defensive component in returning serves, Arizona transfer and fifth-year libero Joy Galles led with 444 total digs averaging 3.73 digs each set. Six additional athletes also landed in the triple digits for digging, including Ammeraal, Urquhart, and Garcia.
Another key component of the Hawkeyes’ defense was their blocking. Players like Whittingstall and Gibson shone here, using their respective 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-1 frames to create opportunities near the net.
Whittingstall led Iowa in blocking with 113 total blocks and was the only Hawkeye to average more than one block each set, averaging 1.10 blocks per set. Gibson, meanwhile, came nearly as close with 106 total blocks this season, averaging 0.94 blocks per set.
While heavy-hitting teams such as Nebraska proved harder for the defense to handle, a solid effort in digs and blocking allowed Iowa to hold their own in closer matchups.