Iowa volleyball rebuilds with plenty of newcomers after losing every Big Ten match in 2023

IOWA CITY — Iowa volleyball did not lack learning opportunities in 2023, albeit not the type of learning opportunities most coaches would envy.

“We do two things — we either win or learn,” Iowa’s Jim Barnes said at the team’s annual media day. “And we learned a lot last year, obviously.”

Out of those two options, it was entirely the latter in Big Ten play last season. The Hawkeyes went 0-20 in Big Ten play, marking their worst conference record in program history.

As Barnes looks to bring Iowa back in the win column in his third year as head coach, he is working with a dramatically different roster.

Iowa’s 11 newcomers — six incoming freshman and five transfers — outnumber the seven returning players.

“We have a lot of fresh faces, which I think a lot of people might see as a disadvantage, but we see as an advantage,” outside hitter Michelle Urquhart said. “Everyone’s come in really gritty, wanting to learn, wanting to be here.”

The portal additions include two from power-conference schools, another two from smaller Division I schools and one from the junior college level. Four of the five transfers arrived in time for the spring semester.

Part of Barnes’ pitch to recruits is the chance to be a part of the team that changes that history.

“They want that challenge of taking this program, which has never really excelled in the Big Ten, and be the team that helps it start going in that direction and compete at the highest level,” Barnes said.

The Hawkeyes have not won five-plus Big Ten matches in a season since going 7-13 in 2017 and 2018. Those 14 wins were vacated, though, due to a major NCAA violation by former coach Bond Shymansky. Going further back, Iowa has not finished with a winning overall record since 2016 and a winning Big Ten record since 2000.

Barnes’ task of rebuilding Iowa is especially difficult given the strength of the Big Ten. The conference had four of the top 13 teams in last year’s final AVCA poll and five of the top 11 teams in the final 2022 poll. In 2021, the national championship was a Big Ten-vs.-Big Ten matchup as Wisconsin bested Nebraska.

It is about to get even more difficult this year with the addition of four Pac-12 defections. Oregon is No. 10, USC is No. 21 and UCLA and Washington are receiving votes in this year’s AVCA preseason poll.

“It’s always been the best (conference), but now it’s not even close,” Barnes said of the Big Ten.

It also is a conference that has seen an explosion in fan interest in volleyball. Nebraska set the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event when 92,003 fans packed Memorial Stadium to see an outdoor match against Omaha.

Less than a month later, Wisconsin’s match at Marquette set the indoor volleyball attendance record with 17,037 fans at Fiserv Forum — an arena that usually hosts Marquette men’s basketball and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Replace some of Iowa’s learning experiences with winning experiences, and Barnes is optimistic about what Iowa fans would be willing to do.

“We’re between Nebraska and Wisconsin that pack every single game, and we know we can be that way,” Barnes said. “We’ve got the people that will do it. We just got to put a product on the floor that competes at the highest level, and it will happen.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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