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27 T he name of the game was patience for freshman Blythe Rients during the first half of the University of Iowa volleyball season. It wasn't until Iowa's sixth game of the season when Rients made her debut, and until the 17th game when she made an impressive first career start, tallying 11 kills and four blocks. It was a sign of good things to come. "I was trying to do whatever I could to make an impact," Rients said. "Whether that was in practice or being loud on the bench, I wanted to be able to contribute on the court." Rients hails from Eagan, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, where she played for Northern Lights Volleyball Club with current teammate Kyndra Hansen. eir team won a Junior National Championship in 2018 in the 17- open division, following in the footsteps on juniors Brie Orr and Halle Johnston. "I looked up to the older girls because during their 15s year they won a national championship," Rients said. "It was cool to watch them do that." Drawn by a Big Ten university with a small-town feel, Rients committed to Iowa. She joined Orr and Johnston, along with Hansen. Rients began to work alongside the upperclassmen and a top-25 recruiting class. "We're young with eight freshmen and four sophomores," Rients said. "We are trying to find our identity on the team and get good experience for the future." Rients' third career start was a historic one. On Oct. 20, the Hawkeyes were donning special gold jerseys for their alumni match against Indiana. In front of a sea of Hawkeye alumni, Rients amassed a career-high 11 blocks as the Hawkeyes downed the Hoosiers in four sets. It wasn't until aer the match when Rients knew her career-high 11 blocks were tied for sixth-most in a match in Iowa history. "I was trying to get some touches, help the defense behind me, get a good block set up, and know where to plays the balls," Rients said. "I was trying to do my job, and I ended up getting good numbers out of it." Iowa head coach Vicki Brown has been expecting immediate contributions from one of the nation's top recruiting classes and she is happy to see them produce on the court. "Blythe is coming into her own and settling into her game," Brown said. "Statistically, it speaks volumes being sixth all-time in a single match. at was a good moment for her. We have had high expectations for our freshmen and they are now showing that they can compete." A middle herself at the University of Illinois, Brown knows what it is like to play as a middle blocker in the Big Ten, and is excited for Rients moving forward. "Middles are underrated," Brown added. "ey are the workhorses. I always say middles and setters will have to always work hard and at a fast speed. It's great to see a freshman middle blocker have that much success against a Big Ten opponent." NOVEMBER SCHEDULE Nov. 1 Penn State Nov. 2 Rutgers Nov. 6 Illinois Nov. 9 Nebraska Nov. 13 at Michigan Nov. 16 at Nebraska Nov. 22 at Wisconsin Nov. 23 at Minnesota Nov. 29 Ohio State Nov. 30 Maryland