This week we are joined by Iowa podcaster Holly&Go from the Hot Mess Happy Hour podcast. You can follow Holly on Twitter @hawkchick11.
Tell us about yourself and your podcast.
A little about me, I was born and raised in Iowa and I have been a Hawkeye fan since birth, and that fandom has been passed down to my son who will be attending UI next fall. I’m a season ticket holder for Iowa football (yes, the last two seasons have been painful) and I try to make it to men’s and women’s basketball games, volleyball, and wrestling since I live close to Iowa City. I’m really excited that Iowa has added women’s wrestling, so I plan on attending a dual to watch them too!
I have a podcast with my friend Amy called Hot Mess Happy Hour with the Wing Chicks. You can listen to us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Our friend Jess is the third Wing Chick, she is taking a break at the moment. We all met at a burlesque dance studio in our area several years ago, and hilarity/ridiculousness has been happening ever since. We were told for a few years that we should have a podcast so we took the plunge a year ago. We talk about a lot of topics, usually funny, but we talk about serious topics too. One of our favorites is what it is like being a woman who loves sports and all of the crap that goes along with it. There’s a reason it’s called Hot Mess Happy Hour so be prepared!
We all know Caitlin Clark but who else should Virginia Tech be keeping an eye out for tonight?
Well, I would hope everyone knows about Caitlin Clark but another name everyone should learn is Hannah Stuelke. She is a sophomore, averaged 6.5 points and almost 4 rebounds in 13 minutes last year and she was the 2022-23 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year. Hannah is going to have an even bigger role this year for the Hawkeyes after some departures and I am really excited to see what she can do. She’s already shown improvement in the exhibition games and the first game this season.
Tell us a little bit about the history of Iowa women’s basketball for those of us who aren’t familiar prior to the Caitlin Clark era.
Iowa women’s basketball has been pretty solid since the 1990’s when we had C. Vivian Stringer as our coach. Coach Stringer was such an influential part of Iowa women’s basketball, I remember watching her when I was a kid and thinking she was just the coolest person ever. There has only been a handful of seasons since her time at Iowa where the team did not make the NCAA tournament. After Coach Stringer left, we had Angie Lee, who I understand was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech for a few years after she left Iowa. Coach Lisa Bluder is the fifth coach in program history and has been with the Hawkeyes since 2000. I think we’re at 15+ tournament appearances in her time at Iowa. Last year was the first time the team made it to the Final Four since 1993, and it was the first time the team made it to the championship game, so it has been a pretty exciting time for Iowa women’s basketball.
What do you think about Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball program?
I am not super familiar with the Virginia Tech women’s basketball program but I did get to watch their Final Four game against LSU last year. I was pulling for them, I thought they would have been a great match up for Iowa. I’m excited to see how the teams matchup in this game.
What do you think games like the Ally Tip-Off do to grow the women’s game?
I think it’s awesome that there are more opportunities like this for women’s basketball. Last month, Iowa did an exhibition game in Kinnick Stadium that had over 56,000 people attending, and thousands more watching on tv. I know the NCAA tournament had a massive increase in viewers last year, which just proves that people will watch if they are given access. Anything that can be done to grow the sport is amazing, and events like the Ally Tip-Off do just that.
What’s your prediction for the game?
Iowa wins 79-68.
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