Nebraska Volleyball Preview: Iowa

The No. 2 Huskers return to the Devaney Center after earning their first road win of conference play.

Geoff Exstrom | 4 Minutes Ago

Nebraska volleyball players celebrate a point against Louisville. / Nebraska Athletics

The No. 2 Nebraska volleyball team returns home from its first road match of the Big Ten schedule after a clean sweep at Illinois in front of the biggest crowd in Huff Hall history.

The Huskers’ neighbor awaits them Sunday afternoon at the Devaney Center as the Iowa Hawkeyes look to shock the volleyball world with their first win over NU in program history. Despite the intense rivalry in other sports such as football, women’s basketball, baseball and wrestling, volleyball is a rare exception.

It has yet to be determined if Nebraska will be short-handed once again after missing sophomore superstar Andi Jackson at Illinois. Husker coach John Cook did not provide an update after Thursday’s match.

Here’s all you need to know for the Huskers’ Sunday matinee.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 2 Nebraska (13-1, 3-0 B1G) vs. Iowa (8-6, 2-0 B1G)

Where: Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Time: 2 p.m. CDT

Watch: Nebraska Public Media

Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Jim Barnes is in her his third season coaching Iowa after coming over from Tulane. / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Iowa Scout

Head Coach: Jim Barnes | 3rd Season | 26-51 (.338) at Iowa; 481-396 Career HC record | Previous HC stops at Tulane, Baylor, Wyoming and Lamar.

2023 Record: 8-24 (0-20 B1G, 14th) | One B1G Sportsmanship Honoree | Did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Record Against Nebraska: 0-38 (2023 last matchup, Nebraska won 3-0)

Fun Fact: Nebraska has never lost to Iowa in volleyball. In the rally scoring era, the Huskers have swept Iowa in 23 of their 25 meetings. NU won a five-set thriller in 2019 and beat the Hawkeyes in four sets in 2018.

Key Returners: Anna Davis, MB, RS-Sr. | Gabby Deery, OH, Soph.

Outlook: It’s always going to be hard to build a roster coming off a 8-24 regular season record and a 0-20 showing in conference play. That was the task handed to third-year Iowa coach Jim Barnes this last offseason. Not much went right for the Hawkeyes in 2023 getting swept 18 times out of 31 matches with all victories coming in their nonconference slate.

Despite the downturn, Barnes has already matched his win total from last season (8) and has Iowa in a great position to match and exceed the 10-win total he achieved in his debut season in Iowa City. That’s due to his crafty work in the transfer portal to rebuild a squad that practically lost its entire lineup due to eligibility and transferring to other programs.

Although, at the heart of this Hawkeye resurgence are a couple of key freshman recruits enticed by Barnes to help rebuild Iowa. Hawaii freshman outside hitter Malu Gracia leads the offense with a team-high 2.76 kills per set mark on a .225 clip to coincide with 43 blocks and five aces. Alongside returning sophomore Gabby Deery (2.24 K/S), 6-1 freshman attacker Dominique Phills has also made an impact in her first season on campus by putting down over 100 kills (2.24 K/S).

Iowa ran a 6-2 offensive system last season, but lost both Kaia Mateo (Rice) and Bailey Ortega (LSU) to the transfer portal. Barnes elected to mix youth with experience for this season’s 6-2 with freshman Jenna Meitzler (9.94 A/S) and Central Michigan transfer Claire Ammeraal (8.58) running the show. A second team All-MAC performer last season, Ammeraal has been a jack-of-all-trades player for the Hawkeyes. She’s averaging an eye-popping 2.12 kills per set on a .320 hitting percentage out of 125 swings. Plus, her 2.46 digs per set is second on the team and has also chipped in 11 blocks. Despite being a freshman, Meitlzer has developed nicely as a blocker with 33 on the season which is fourth and only one of four players to have 30 or more kills.

Another duo acquired over the offseason, Hannah Whittingstall and Gracie Gibson anchor the middle for Iowa. Whittingstall came from SMU after one season and leads the team with 64 total blocks and 2.08 kills per set on a .269 hitting percentage. A senior, Gibson transferred from Lafayette College where she led the Patriot League in hitting percentage (.381) while fifth in blocks with a team-high 85. She’s hitting better than Whittingstall with 1.89 K/S on a .358 clip with 58 blocks.

Going after more experience, Barnes convinced libero graduate student Joy Galles to spend her last college volleyball season in Iowa. She’s averaging a team-high 3.88 D/S mark with 16 aces. An outside hitter who followed Barnes from Tulane in 2022, Michelle Urquhart is the most dangerous server on the Hawkeyes. Her team-leading 26 aces is fourth in the Big Ten and on pace to smash the school record of 40 in a single season.

Barring a breakdown from the No. 2 Huskers, this should be a victory for NU. However, it will be compelling to see what Barnes and his staff can do with this team for the rest of the year after starting out conference play 2-0 for the first time since 2008. Voted last in the Big Ten preseason poll, the expectations were dismal for the Hawkeyes, but a pair of five-set wins over Rutgers and Maryland could help prevent them from finishing in the basement for the second consecutive year.