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101 T he University of Iowa volleyball team is off to its best start since 1994 thanks in part to its Bench Press. While the Hawkeyes are doing work in the weight room, it's the team's Bench Press on the sidelines that makes the most noise — literally. "Our bench crew calls themselves the bench press," said UI head coach Bond Shymansky. "ey have embraced, not being bench players, but being players who are on the bench in that moment. We are counting on everybody to con- tribute in significant ways this year and that's one of the ways they can do it." e idea started with Iowa's three true freshmen — Emily Bushman, Cali Hoye, and Alexa Ito. It has since transformed into a phenom- ena, complete with original moves for every team member and special choreography for blocks, kills, and aces. "We started the Bench Press early in the season because we wanted to provide more energy for the girls on the court," said Bushman. "We started with regular cheers, but that didn't provide a lot of energy, because our voices got lost in a gym full of people. Now we have cheers with higher en- ergy that are more noticeable. We get hyped about what's happening on the court and that excitement adds to what we are doing on our side of the net." "It's a fun way to get fired up about the game," said Hoye. "It impacts the game by getting everyone, including fans, excited and involved. It has evolved into an important part of our game that helps us win matches." While fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena notice and respond to the energy on the sidelines within the first few minutes of a match, the Bench Press has been equally important on the road. "We wanted to start something fun and different," said Ito. "It sets us apart from other teams. e Bench Press creates a lot of energy for our team. When we are playing on the road, it becomes an important factor in determining the atmosphere of the game." e added energy and excitement ap- pears to be working. Iowa improved to 12-4 on the season — the team's best start since 1994 — following back-to-back Big Ten wins against Maryland (Sept. 28) and North- western (Oct. 1). e Hawkeyes are ranked third in the conference in assists per set (13.27), fourth in hit- ting percentage (.288) and opponent hitting percentage (.157), and fih in kills per set (14.10) and total kills (719). "e Bench Press has been super helpful," said ju- nior starter Jess Janota. "ey give so much energy, and they are always there to push you to be your best. It's another component of our team that helps us in those intense moments. eir energy has helped us succeed on the court this season." Fans can see the Bench Press in action this week- end. e Hawkeyes host Purdue on Friday, before welcoming Indiana to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday. First serve for both matches is 7 p.m. (CT). OCTOBER SCHEDULE Oct. 7 Purdue Oct. 8 Indiana Oct. 14 at Maryland Oct. 15 at Ohio State Oct. 21 Minnesota Oct. 22 Wisconsin Oct. 28 Northwestern Oct. 29 Illinois