CORALVILLE, Iowa – University of Iowa volleyball opened the Kwik Star Klassic with a sweep of Butler on Thursday night at Xtream Arena. Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden recorded a career-best 11 kills and hit .240. With the win, Iowa is 4-0 for the first time since 2016.

The middle duo of junior Hannah Whittingstall and freshman Aleksandra Stojanovic both hit over a .500 clip, terminating nine and four kills, respectively.

Senior Claire Ammeraal finished the night with a double-double, amassing 33 assists and 13 digs. Senior Milana Moisio held down the defense with 15 digs. Three Hawkeyes made their debuts in the home opener. Freshmen Marichka Hoshylyk, Gia McGrew and Peyton Young entered in the third set and scored their first kills as Hawkeyes.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JIM BARNES
“This was one of those matches that was so fun to coach because of how many of our players were able to get in. Add to that that we did not drop a set. Every player that came in came ready and had kills. I love that we had three freshmen get the first kills of their career. It is evident how hard the team plays for one another and that is what is special. When we play fast and low error, we’re hard to beat. This team has the ability to do some things that haven’t been done here in awhile.”

MATCH SUMMARY
SET ONE (IOWA 25-17)
The match started back and forth, with Iowa finding its first point of an Ammeraal and Stojanovic connection. A Whittingstall slide knotted the set at 3-3. Iowa grabbed its first lead of the night at 5-4 off a Butler error. A kill and service ace from Ammeraal lengthened the Hawkeyes lead to 7-5. Freshman Carmel Vares’ first kill at home helped Iowa side out at 9-6. After neither team was able to find much momentum, a great pass from junior Greta Schlichter to Ammeraal to Whittingstall gave Iowa an 11-10 advantage. The Hawkeyes used a 4-0 run to push ahead of the Bulldogs and take a 16-13 lead through the media timeout. The Iowa front row was on fire, finding holes in the Bulldog defense. Vares’ third kill gave Iowa set point at 24-17. Despite nine ties in the opening set, the Hawkeyes pulled away in the second half to take it. Iowa finished the set after hitting a scorching .484.

SET TWO (IOWA 25-14)
Iowa kept the momentum from the first set to fuel a dominant second set performance. The Hawkeyes fired off four straight kills to take an early lead, behind the serving arm of Schlichter. A Vares kill built Iowa’s lead to 6-1. Worden remained impactful, drilling her sixth kill to give Iowa an 8-1 lead. Butler rallied within five at 14-9, but would not be able to close the gap. Iowa stretched its lead to 17-9 with back-to-back Vanzandt aces. Worden’s 10th kill forced a Butler timeout at 20-12. Following the timeout, Worden set her career high in kills. Iowa closed out the wire-to-wire set win on a kill from Whittingstall.

SET THREE (IOWA 25-21)
Freshman Marichka Hoshylyk made her Hawkeye debut in the third set, getting the nod to start the frame. Moments later, she would drill her first kill as a Hawkeye. The teams traded points through the first half of the set. After Butler won the race to ten, Iowa responded with back-to-back points. Service errors from both teams prevented either squad from gaining separation. In a set that featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, Iowa ultimately pulled ahead late. Kills from freshmen McGrew and Young ignited the energy in the crowd and on the bench. A kill from junior Gabby Deery sealed victory for the Hawkeyes.

Up Next: Iowa battles Illinois State on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. inside Xtream Arena. The Redbirds were reverse swept by Loyola Chicago on Thursday. The Hawkeyes’ match with Illinois State will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required) and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.