Soccer
After an illustrious 2024 campaign resulting in a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament, Hawkeye soccer has resumed its dominance on the pitch.
No. 10 Iowa has accumulated an impressive 5-1-2 record thus far. The Hawkeyes opened up the season with a statement 3-2 victory over a top-10-ranked Arkansas squad on the road.
Iowa’s lone loss of the year came against then No. 7-ranked Texas Christian University in a narrow 3-2 decision. Since the loss, the Hawkeyes have rebounded with a 4-0-2 record.
Iowa has had nine different players find the net, outsourcing its opponents 17-6. The Hawkeyes have made it extremely hard for defenses to stop multiple Iowa threats.
Graduate student forward Kelli McGroarty leads the team with four goals, recording all four scores against Missouri State, setting a school record for most goals scored in a game.
Defensively, the Hawkeyes have had the one-two punch with Taylor Kane and Fernanda Mayrink defending the net. Kane has recorded nine saves and has only allowed two goals on the year. Mayrink has also been productive anchoring the Iowa defense, recording 13 saves and only allowing four goals on the season.
The two combine for five shutouts and an average save percentage of .786. For reference, opponent goalkeepers against Iowa this year have recorded one shutout and have a save percentage of .717.
While much of the season remains undecided, the Hawkeyes will aim to build on their success for the remainder of the season.
Volleyball
While they may have struggled last season, Iowa volleyball has had the hottest start of any fall sport.
Iowa volleyball struggled last season, finishing 10-22 overall and only clinching four conference contests.
Outside of the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes struggled against teams they were well-equipped to beat.
Fast forward to this year, where the Hawkeyes started 6-0 for the first time in over a decade. Had it not been for a 3-2 road loss to SEMO, Iowa would have set a record for the best start in program history.
In the first three invitationals the Hawkeyes went 7-2 overall, with six of their wins being sweeps.
The Hawkeyes had some returning talent, such as current fourth-year setter Claire Ammeraal, who eclipsed 2,000 career assists last August. There’s also third-year hitter Alyssa Worden, who nabbed 11 kills in Iowa’s home-opening sweep over Butler on Sept. 4.
Head coach Jim Barnes also made sure to load the roster with new talent, such as first-year Carmel Vares and sixth-year Charde Vanzandt as strong offensive players, and fourth-year Milana Moisio to lock down the defense as a starting libero.
The program is consistently elevating, using several lackluster seasons as motivation to fuel the program.
Despite past hurdles, Iowa volleyball is still managing to do something special with what they’ve been given, and that’s the most impressive thing of all.