On Sept. 5, 2008, the Iowa volleyball team swept Green Bay on the road to improve to 6-0 to start their campaign, the first squad to do so since 1988.
No Hawkeye squad has matched that start since.
Until now.
Iowa is now 6-0 after a 3-0 showing at the Kwik Star Classic in Coralville this weekend, one win away from setting a new program record.
“We have very talented student-athletes that are committed to working hard and doing what it takes to turn this program into a winner,” fourth-year head coach Jim Barnes told HawkeyeSports. “Every player on our team came here with the mindset to do just that. This team plays for each other more than any team I’ve had here.”
After last year’s 10-22 finish, including four conference wins, Iowa is starting to turn heads just six games into the 2025 campaign. The Hawkeyes began the season in Las Vegas for UNLV’s Rebel Challenge, where they swept both UNLV and CSU Bakersfield, bridged by a 3-2 triumph over Utah Tech.
Upon returning to Coralville for their home opener, the determination Iowa had shown in Sin City seemed to only drive them further towards success, with both returning veterans and young blood coming together to take the Kwik Star Classic by storm.
Third-year Alyssa Worden was one component of the team’s success, with 19 total kills throughout three contests, 11 of which came from the Hawkeyes’ home opener against Butler. These figures rocketed the Bartlett, Illinois native into third on the team for overall kills this season, with 40 to her name.
“I really try to help out most with my defense, serve receive, and killing the ball when I can,” Worden told The Daily Iowan after Iowa’s sweep of the Bulldogs. “I think we passed really well, we were in the system a lot, and that really helped our offense.”
Worden’s past experience playing with the Hawkeyes had her ready for some crucial moments in Coralville, but other players had different paths to success. In fact, Iowa’s leader in kills right now is first-year Carmel Vares, with 44 kills attributed to the Estonia native.
Third-year Hannah Whittingstall, a middle hitter right behind Vares with 42 kills, has enjoyed seeing the readiness of each player on the team to do their part.
“I think it’s so special to have those opportunities for them to come in and get some playing time,” the Texas native said. “We had a few people with their first college careers and I think that was really cool to see them come in and be ready to kill it.”
Whittingstall, a transfer from SMU, attributes the early success of her second season with the Hawkeyes to the team’s mindset and motivation.
“I think our team has done a great job of energy,” Whittingstall said. “I think it helps that we have a team that’s so supportive of one another, [of] people coming in and doing different things. No matter who was coming in, we were there to support them and cheer them on no matter what.”
Veteran players like Whittingstall have also had the opportunity to impact the play of younger athletes. Second-year Aleksandra Stojanovic, already up to 39 career kills after redshirting her freshman year, credited Whittingstall as a fellow middle hitter who has fueled her work ethic.
“I had this opportunity to watch and learn,” Stojanovic said. “We had really good middles last year too. They did a great job. I was like, ‘if I want to play and be on the court, I have to make sure I’m at least as good as them.’”
Not only does Iowa now find itself with a perfect record, they also boast a healthy roster for a trip to Cape Girardeau, Missouri this week. Fourth-year setter Claire Ammeraal is already feeling the positive energy.
“It’s so exciting,” Ammeraal told The Quad City Times. “It’s just so great to be a part of this team. All the people are so sweet and I love all of them. I want all of them to succeed. Being part of that is just amazing. The wins are just a side bonus.”