Iowa guard Sydney Affolter gets special Valentine's Day message from BF Brennen Dorighi via latest IG post: PHOTO

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Sydney Affolter and her team recently suffered a disappointing away loss in Lincoln to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This loss dropped them to No. 4 in the AP rankings.

To help lift her spirits, the Iowa guard received a Valentine's Day message from her boyfriend Brennen Dorighi, and she reposted a picture of the couple looking cozy on her Instagram Stories with the caption:

"vday ❤️❤️"

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Sydney Affolter: The muscle of Iowa

Sydney Affolter brings grit and toughness to the Iowa Hawkeyes, perfectly complementing the leadership ability of Kate Martin and the smooth end product of the popular Caitlin Clark.

During Iowa's media days, Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder made an unusual statement about Sydney Affolter.

“I don’t expect Syd to come off the bench and have 15 points,” Bluder said.

Affolter is averaging 7.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game this season and is a key member of the Hawkeyes team with a huge impact from the bench.

Jan Jensen, the Hawkeyes associate head coach, had nothing but praise for Affolter as well during the Iowa media availability.

“She’s one of those kids that just do their job. It’s just, ‘I’m in the trenches, I’m going to do what we do, [and] that’s kind of rare to get kids with that type of motor,” Jan Jensen said. “I think she has Chicago toughness … She’s not going to back down from anybody.”

Lisa Bluder highlighted Affolter's mentality and the tenacity she brings to the Iowa team led by the record-chasing Caitlin Clark.

“She has that tenacity,” Bluder said. “It sounds so easy, but it’s not. She has an aggressive mindset, [and] she’s not afraid to be physical and do the dirty work when she has to.”

Sydney Affolter summarized her approach to the game that has made her a firm fan favorite after a recent 110-74 win against the Northwestern Wildcats.

“I don’t think anyone else is going to get [the ball] but me, and I think that helps a lot in rebounding. I knew [rebounding] was going to be important within my role. I want to take advantage of that whenever I’m on the court. I always played against the guys, so I think my dad instilled that in me, and my brother definitely didn’t take it easy on me,” Affolter said.

Every team needs a Sydney Affolter to be successful, and luckily for the Iowa Hawkeyes, they have the original.