Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/610890
103 U niversity of Iowa senior Mikaela Gunderson may have been small for a Big Ten Conference middle blocker, but she didn't let it stop her from making a big impact on the Hawkeye volleyball program. Aer spending two seasons at Wisconsin-Green Bay, the 6-foot Gunderson followed associate head coach Michaela Franklin to Iowa. Since then, she has sparked the program's rebuild with a big presence at the net. "She was an undersized player battling among the giants, but she kept putting up huge numbers," said UI head coach Bond Shymansky. "She played hard and scored so well, and she was only in the league for two years." Gunderson made history in her final match as a Hawkeye on Nov. 28, breaking Iowa's career attack percentage record with a mark of .294 — 16 points higher than the old school record of .278 (Alessandra Dietz, 2014). In 64 matches and 220 sets for the Hawkeyes, Gunderson compiled 339 kills in 810 attempts with just 101 errors. e Casco, Wisconsin, native registered 193 blocks (16 solo, 177 assists) in her career, and holds the record for blocks in a four-set match (nine versus Texas-San Antonio on Sept. 29, 2014). "Leaving my name in the Iowa record book is a great honor," said Gunderson. "Coming in, I was striving to be the best I could be, and I had goals of setting records. To be able to say that I accomplished that is something I'm proud of." Gunderson led the Hawkeyes with a .333 attack percentage — 10th-best in the Big Ten — and a 0.78 blocks per set average. Iowa's goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament fell short this season, but the team captain is proud of what the Hawkeyes have started. "Being a part of this program shi has been special," said Gunderson. "It means so much to me. I felt so much pride when I put on the Hawkeye jersey. ere are so many people behind us in the community, within the athletics department, and on the coaching staff. eir support has been amazing. "Looking back 10 years from now, I'll be able to say that the success of the program was something this team got started." While her student-athlete career has come to an end, Gunderson is thankful for her time at the UI. "I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to become a Hawkeye," Gunderson said. "Coming to Iowa was the best decision I have ever made." Her coach is thankful, too. "We are sure glad she chose to be a Hawkeye," said Shymansky. "She continued to put forth great effort and work ethic. She was a go-to hitter for us, and we are going to miss her next year."