Shymansky has ‘lofty, but reasonable’ goals

IOWA CITY - Sometime Wednesday, players and coaches will meet goals for the University of Iowa volleyball team.

Bond Shymansky already has some in mind.

'I have some lofty goals, but they're realistic goals,” Shymansky said Tuesday at the Hawkeyes' media day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

'Success needs to be measurable in terms of wins and losses. I have a number in mind, and that number is 20.”

That would be a significant leap for a program that has wallowed in the depths of the Big Ten throughout the past decade. In the last 10 seasons, Iowa has compiled a record of 112-207, including 27-173 in league play.

The past, the Hawkeyes say, is the past.

'A winning season is completely reachable,” said Alyssa Klostermann, a sophomore setter from Dubuque. 'With the talent we have, we should be able to grab some wins that we didn't quite get last year.”

Iowa was 11-21 overall, 2-18 in the Big Ten last year, leading to the ouster of coach Sharon Dingman. An Iowa City native and a UI alum, Shymansky was hired Jan. 31.

Shymansky had served five years at Marquette, where he piloted the Golden Eagles to three straight postseason appearances (2011-13).

'This was a special opportunity,” Shymansky said. 'It's not something I could probably choose to do the next year or the year after that.

'The window was open now, and I was happy to jump through it.”

Outside hitter Alex Lovell was asked to describe Shymansky. She smiled.

'Umm, it's hard to put a phrase on him. He's a go-getter,” said Lovell, who has led the Hawkeyes in kills three straight seasons. 'He knows what he wants from us, and he definitely pushes us.

'We're going to be a much more aggressive, more competitive team. We'll be a team that other teams need to take seriously.”

Klostermann said she 'breathed a smile of relief” when Shymansky's hire was announced.

'He's going to change our program,” Klostermann said.

Like Shymansky, Lovell is taking the 'lofty, but realistic” approach.

'We'll definitely be moving up in the Big Ten,” she said. 'It's not like we're going to go to Penn State and beat them in three straight games. But we're going to win five or six more matches than we did last year.

'More than anything, we're going to compete for every single point.”

And it's the time between the points that will determine the Hawkeyes' progress this year, Shymansky believes.

'We're doing a lot of mental and emotional work,” he said. 'Those eight seconds after the whistle blows and before the next serve, that's really the key part of the match.”

The Hawkeyes will participate in the Black and Gold Scrimmage on Saturday (3 p.m., admission is free). The season opens Aug. 29 at the Texas A&M Tournament.

The home opener is Sept. 27, against Nebraska.

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