Freshman Alexis Conaway jogged onto the volleyball court in Hilton Coliseum on the evening of Aug. 29, taking the last few steps of a journey to Iowa State that was two years in the making.

“I decided to come here two years ago and from then on I’ve just been waiting and watching,” Conaway said. “I’ve waited so long and now I’m here.”

ISU head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch and her staff took notice of Conaway and began recruiting her early in her high school career at MOC-Floyd Valley in Orange City, Iowa.

Conaway was one of the best female athletes in Iowa throughout her high school career, winning state titles in volleyball and track as well as first-team all-state honors in volleyball and basketball among other accolades.

Conaway said that after her recruitment began, she became an avid ISU volleyball fan, traveling roughly three hours each way on numerous occasions to spectate and to dream.

“I had been in the stands the last couple of years watching and hoping and dreaming and waiting,” Conaway said. “When that moment finally came, it was so cool. I loved it.”

Conaway said one of the best parts about the experience was interacting with the crowd, which numbered more than 2,700 people.

“It was a bit of a mental overload,” Conaway said. “There are so many things going on but ultimately when you get on the court everything kind of melts away and you zone in on the game.”

Focusing through the intensity and enormity of such an important moment in her life was crucial for Conaway as she has been asked to contribute immediately and expectations for her are high among fans and coaches.

“Conaway is a fantastic athlete who is still figuring some things out,” Johnson-Lynch said. “But she can do some things physically that few people can do.”

Conaway was not the only freshman contributor making her debut in the team’s home opener against the then No. 3 Stanford, which is currently listed as No. 2 in the country.

Monique Harris also saw action in her first ever regular season match as a Cyclone and talked about the day leading up to it.

“That day going to school I was really nervous,” Harris said. “It was the most nervous I’ve ever been for anything before in my life.”

Harris said that the routine of the locker room and interacting with her teammates helped to calm her down, but the emotion came flooding back as soon as she hit the court for warm ups.

“I felt a rush seeing all the people standing up and cheering as [I] ran out,” Harris said. “The support you get and the excitement they have to see you is really cool.”

Like Conaway, Harris said that once the match began she was not really thinking anything except about how to contribute as effectively and efficiently as she could.

The young ISU team struggled in its first contest without former libero and leader Kristen Hahn but had moments of brilliance, the most evident of which came in a multi-point run in the second set after Stanford trounced Iowa State through the first half of the match.

The Cyclones dug out their most productive showing in the third and final set of the night but still came up short, losing 25-19.

Ultimately, Iowa State fell 3-0 to one of the best teams in the country, but Harris said the experience was memorable and meaningful all the same.

“It might not be the outcome we wanted, but it was nice getting that game out of the way,” Harris said. “It was great … playing in front of people who really care about you and doing what you love to do in a great atmosphere with a bunch of great fans.”