(Atlantic, IA) – The Treynor Cardinals spoiled opening night in Atlantic, beating the Trojans 51-31 on Friday. Although the Trojan defense played relatively well, it was a lack of offensive production, combined with good defense from the Cardinals, that was the story of the night. Treynor defended the inside extremely well, limiting Katrina Williams and Atlantic’s post production. Coupled with turnovers, the Trojans managed just five points in each of the first two quarters. Although the offense had more production in the second half, it wasn’t nearly enough to chip away at the lead Treynor had established.

As expected in the first game of the season, neither team flew out of the gate. A Zoey Kirchoff 3-pointer gave Atlantic the lead early, and it stayed that way for nearly three minutes. However, it was clear that the Treynor defense was keying in on defending the post. Although the Trojans had opportunities down low throughout the game, Cardinal defenders collapsed, causing the Trojan shooters to be off. However, despite the lack of offense, the Trojans held Treynor to 15 points in the first quarter and were well within striking distance.

The second quarter was Treynor’s best offensive quarter. Scoring 13 points, the Cardinals knocked down three 3-pointers, including two from Nora Konz, who tied for the team lead in scoring, finishing the game with 12 points. They were quick and decisive with their ball movement, avoiding a large number of turnovers. Meanwhile, the Trojan offense continued to be stifled. In addition to struggling with turnovers at times, Treynor moved to a press, which caused issues for the Trojans. Freshman Maddie McLaren added her second field goal of the game, but Makenna Schroeder’s first long ball of the season was their only other points Atlantic mustered as they went into the half down 28-10.

Although the second half wouldn’t alter the course of the game, the Trojan offense did play better. They managed 10+ points in each of the final two frames, led by their freshman. Kaitlyn Hickman tallied eight points in the fourth quarter, while Maddie McLaren added six more and ended as the team’s leading scorer with 10. However, the Trojans were never able to build any momentum as the Cardinals stayed consistent on their way to a 51-31 win. Head coach Dan Vargason said that turnovers played a big role in the lack of offensive production.

He felt that some missed opportunities early cost them.

However, there were positive takeaways. In addition to the defense playing relatively well, the production from the freshman was a good sign.

The Trojans, now 0-1, will turn their attention to Denison-Schleswig as they travel to face the Monarchs on Tuesday. Vargason knows that they will have to cut down on the turnovers and continue to improve and clean up their game.

Tuesday night’s game in Denison is scheduled for 7:30 pm. You can catch the action on KJANTV with coverage beginning at 7:20 pm.

The AHSTW Girls Basketball team is set to begin the 2025-206 season next week. Head Coach Jason McCall says the summer was filled with hard work and now they are ready to compete against someone other than themselves.

AHSTW had zero seniors last year meaning everyone is coming back. McCall believes the team chemistry should skyrocket this season.

The Vikings are competing in a few scrimmages leading up to the first regular season game.

Players to watch this season for AHSTW will be Junior duo Bella Lamp and Addison Carroll. The Vikings open their season up Monday on the road at Woodbine.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa head softball coach Stacy May-Johnson released details of the Hawkeyes’ 47-game regular season on Thursday. The 2026 slate features 19 games at Bob Pearl Field with the first home game scheduled for March 20 against Minnesota.

SCHEDULE NOTES 

• Iowa opens the season down south with tournaments in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.  The Hawkeyes open the year at the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee, Florida, on Feb. 7–9 followed by weekends at the MUSB Invitational (Feb. 13–15) and Campbell Softball Tournament (Feb. 20–22).
• The Hawkeyes continue their southern swing with a single game at McNeese State on Feb. 26 before closing out February at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from Feb. 27–28.
• Iowa opens Big Ten play on the road for its first two series.  The Hawkeyes travel to Columbus for a three-game series at Ohio State from March 6–8 before facing Illinois in Champaign from March 13-15.
• The Hawkeyes’ home debut begins with a three-game series against Minnesota from March 20-22. Other marquee home series include Washington (March 27–29), South Dakota State/Georgia Tech (April 10–12), Indiana (April 17–19) and Purdue (May 1–3).
• The team will hit the road for conference series against Oregon (April 3–5) and Nebraska (April 24–26).
• Iowa’s midweek slate includes matchups against Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Illinois.  The Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup against the Cyclones will be played on April 8 in Iowa City and April 21 in Ames.

The Hawkeyes posted a 35-18 overall record and 15-7 mark in Big Ten play during the 2025 season, finishing sixth in the league standings. Iowa swept four conference series and earned ranked wins over UCLA and Nebraska during a late-season surge.

The 2026 campaign marks the first season under May-Johnson, a former Hawkeye All-Big Ten standout and U.S. National Team member, who returns to Iowa City with nearly two decades of coaching experience.

The Iowa Hawkeyes close out the home schedule on Saturday by hosting Michigan State. The Hawkeyes are 6-4 and four close losses have spoiled what could have been a special season for the Hawks. Coach Kirk Ferentz is confident his team will remain motivated to finish strong.

Ferentz on the chance to finish the season with two wins.

Ferentz believes lack of motivation will not be an issue.

Iowa State closes the home schedule on Saturday by hosting Kansas. The Cyclones are 6-4 and the challenge will be slowing down a Jayhawk offense led by quarterback Jalon Daniels.

That’s Cyclone coach Matt Campbell, who says Daniels has improved as a passer.

Kansas has won the last three games in the series but Campbell says both teams are different.

LINCOLN, Neb. – University of Iowa volleyball battled top-ranked Nebraska but fell in straight sets in front of a sellout crowd inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday night. The Hawkeyes drop to 14-15 overall and 5-12 in Big Ten play.

Nebraska used early runs to take a decisive first set win 25-15. The Hawkeyes were able to respond to Husker runs in the second and third, but ultimately fell 25-21 and 25-18.

Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden led the Hawkeyes with eight kills on 25 attempts. Freshman Carmel Vares terminated seven kills on 22 attempts and hit .182.

Sophomore Aleksandra Stojanovic led the Hawkeyes with a team-high .400 hitting percentage on five kills. Freshman Makena Rumple made her second-consecutive start for the Hawkeyes and recorded three kills.

Senior Claire Ammeraal, Stojanovic and Rumple all tallied two blocks.

Up Next: Iowa (14-15, 5-12 B1G) travels to Madison to take on 10th-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. First serve is at 1:00 p.m. inside the UW Field House. The match will be streamed on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

The 19th ranked Iowa Hawkeye women used a late 9-0 run to topple seventh ranked Baylor 57-52 at the WBCA Showcase in Orlando. Ava Heiden had 18 points and 11 rebounds and with point guard Chit Chat Wright injured in the second half Taylor Stremlow came off the bench to score 14.

The Hawkeyes won despite shooting only 34 percent as they improve to 5-0.

The Iowa men blew the game open early in the second half and rolled to a 93-54 win over Chicago State. The Hawkeyes shot 70 percent in the second half after making only 12 of 28 in the opening half. Iowa coach Ben McCollum…

Ten different Hawkeyes scored as they move to 5-0. The schedule gets much tougher as the Hawks head to California to play Ole Miss next Tuesday.

Tavion Banks led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds and says he likes the Hawkeyes are developing.

The 12th ranked Iowa State women opened the game by outscoring Drake 16-0 and rolled to an 87-60 win in the Knapp Center. The Cyclones led 52-18 at halftime.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly. The Cyclones limited the Bulldogs to just three of 24 from three point range.

Drake falls to 1-3 and coach Allison Pohlman’s team continues to be plagued by poor starts.

The Atlantic Girls’ Basketball team is set to begin the 2025-2026 regular season on Friday with a home contest against Treynor. The Trojans return four starters from last season but do lose Paytn Harter who is the all-time leading scorer in Atlantic Girls’ Basketball program history. Head Coach Daniel Vargason says it’s going to be a little bit of trial and error early to determine the best fit.

Fundamentals were a big emphasis in the summertime workouts.

Seniors Katrina Williams and McKenna Schroeder are the top two returning scorers from last year and will play a pivotal role.

You can catch all the action from Friday night’s Atlantic and Treynor game on both KJAN and KJANTV. Coverage begins at 6:20 P.M. with tipoff at 6:30 P.M.