Heading into the 2014 regular season, ISU volleyball finds itself in the middle of a youth movement.

Four true freshman own a spot on the 16-player roster, while two redshirt freshman are in the lineup as well.

“They have all played a lot of ball. They are all pretty experienced,” said ISU head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I think there is a great chance you will see all of them on the court. It is a good class.”

Johnson-Lynch also said it will be necessary for the younger players to step up to help replace libero Kristen Hahn, who graduated last season and is now representing her country as a member of USA Volleyball.

“We are going to be a pretty young team this year,” said junior Mackenzie Bigbee. “We did not really lose a whole lot of people, but some of our big roles like our libero role [are open]. Those are big shoes to fill.”

It is not only the freshmen newcomers who will be asked to produce immediately in their first season on campus, however.

Mississippi State transfer, sophomore Suzanne Horner, will be called upon to step in as the setter and not miss a beat for an ISU team that has found a good deal of success in recent years and is been projected to finish third in the Big 12 conference in 2014.

Horner and her younger counterparts were afforded the opportunity to play in five matches across Europe during the summer. Horner said the experience helped to ease her transition to Iowa State while also helping her gain familiarity with her teammates, which should prove valuable when matches begin in the fall.

“It was really crucial coming early even though it wasn’t necessarily a season … getting to know the girls and just getting more comfortable knowing what sets they like,” Horner said. “And going to Europe was a great team-bonding experience for me, getting to know the coaches, all the staff and the girls just a little better.”

Freshman Monique Harris, who graduated early from high school in Clinton, Iowa, to join the Cyclones as soon as possible, also talked about the extra experience of Europe helping her overcome the nerves that would plague many athletes stepping out of a small high school gym and into the Division-1 arena.

“Of course I was nervous,” Harris said. “I was not as much intimidated more than just nervous … but knowing I was going to get a head start coming in, doing my part and working hard, I knew all my nerves would go away.”

Johnson-Lynch will rely on preseason All-Big 12 selections Bigbee and senior Victoria Hurtt to help her shepherd what is a young flock of volleyball talent this season.

Bigbee said that toward the end of the European tour everyone was “clicking very well” and that a Big 12 Championship and beyond are realistic goals for the Cyclones if they are willing to put in the work.

The pressure will perhaps rest even more heavily on the shoulders of Hurtt, who is looking to duplicate her performance from the 2012 season in which she was named as an Honorable Mention All-American.

“I am going to play with a chip on my shoulder because that is something I want to embrace,” Hurtt said. “I want to have the same year I had a couple years ago, or even better.”

The Cyclones will have their traditional Cardinal and Gold Scrimmage at 1 p.m. Aug. 23 at Hilton Coliseum. They will officially open their season at home versus Stanford on Aug. 29 as part of the AVCA Showcase.