As the ISU volleyball team begins to finish up summer practices, one thing is certain: Expectations could not be higher.

“We want to break that really bad,” said senior setter Allison Landwehr

“That” is the fact Iowa State has made trips to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament twice in the last four years but come up short each time. 

Combined with a sixth-ranked freshman recruiting class this season, the bar has been set higher than ever.

“We’ve had that experience of getting to the Elite Eight twice now so you always feel like once you’ve done it now you want to go one step further; for us, that’s [the] next step,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “Let’s get to the Final Four and compete for a national championship.”

Last spring, while most teams were playing local teams from their areas, Johnson-Lynch had her team facing off against the likes of Nebraska, Creighton and defending runner

As the ISU volleyball team begins to finish up summer practices, one thing is certain: Expectations could not be higher.

“We want to break that really bad,” said senior setter Allison Landwehr

“That” is the fact Iowa State has made trips to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament twice in the last four years but come up short each time.

Combined with a sixth-ranked freshman recruiting class this season, the bar has been set higher than ever.

“We’ve had that experience of getting to the Elite Eight twice now so you always feel like once you’ve done it now you want to go one step further; for us, that’s [the] next step,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “Let’s get to the Final Four and compete for a national championship.”

Last spring, while most teams were playing local teams from their areas, Johnson-Lynch had her team facing off against the likes of Nebraska, Creighton and defending runner-up Illinois.

The team’s preseason schedule this year is no different. In the first two weeks of the new season alone, the Cyclones will see Cincinnati, Florida State, Tennessee and Illinois. All four made the NCAA Tournament last season, but Johnson-Lynch believes her team is up for the challenge.

“We return a lot of nice players, and I feel like we’ll have a lot of experience on the floor, I think we’ll be ready, and we may not win all our pre-season games but that’s not what it’s about,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We want to be tested; we have high expectations, and we want to see where we’re at right away.”

Not only is this year’s recruiting class the highest-ranked Johnson-Lynch has ever brought in to Iowa State, it is her largest as well.

Some of the seven freshmen have been practicing with the team this summer already. Even with the practice, Johnson-Lynch said it’s too hard to predict who, if anyone, will play right away come August.

One thing both the newcomers and the coaching staff have going for them is the team only graduated four players last season. Because of that, Johnson-Lynch said they won’t need any of them to come in and play right away, but that doesn’t mean they wont get a shot to compete in the rotation.

“If they play, it means they earned it,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I’m sure some of them will at least contribute because they are very talented, but I honestly don’t know who it will be and in what role.”

That’s where senior leadership comes into play.

Considering none of the freshmen will have the pressure to come in and make an impact from day one, the learning curve isn’t as steep as it normally would be with a No. 6 recruiting class.

The transition from high school to collegiate volleyball is no step to discount, however, and Landwehr recounts one aspect of the game that she had to get used to four years ago.

“Remembering back to my freshman year, it’s just a lot faster, and they have to get stronger, which a lot of them have been working on. So that’s really good,” Landwehr said.

With graduating Carly Jenson, the team’s kill leader, last season, some may say the bar is set a little too high.

It is important to note the same situation happened two years ago when Johnson-Lynch was left without All-Americans Victoria Henson and Ashley Mass.

As time would tell, the team went on to finish two wins away from a national title, and Johnson-Lynch thinks they can do it again.

“We know that if we work hard and get better, those wins and advancing in the tournament will happen on its own,” Johnson-Lynch said.

The Cyclones begin the season on the road for the first five matches (Illinois is a doubleheader) but head home Sept. 5 to take on in-state foe Northern Iowa at Hilton Coliseum.

First serve is schedule for 6:30 p.m. and admission is free with the Cy’s Pass.

-up Illinois.

The team’s preseason schedule this year is no different. In the first two weeks of the new season alone, the Cyclones will see Cincinnati, Florida State, Tennessee and Illinois. All four made the NCAA Tournament last season, but Johnson-Lynch believes her team is up for the challenge.

“We return a lot of nice players, and I feel like we’ll have a lot of experience on the floor, I think we’ll be ready, and we may not win all our pre-season games but that’s not what it’s about,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We want to be tested; we have high expectations, and we want to see where we’re at right away.”

Not only is this year’s recruiting class the highest-ranked Johnson-Lynch has ever brought in to Iowa State, it is her largest as well.

Some of the seven freshmen have been practicing with the team this summer already. Even with the practice, Johnson-Lynch said it’s too hard to predict who, if anyone, will play right away come August.

One thing both the newcomers and the coaching staff have going for them is the team only graduated four players last season. Because of that, Johnson-Lynch said they won’t need any of them to come in and play right away, but that doesn’t mean they wont get a shot to compete in the rotation.

“If they play, it means they earned it,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I’m sure some of them will at least contribute because they are very talented, but I honestly don’t know who it will be and in what role.”

That’s where senior leadership comes into play.

Considering none of the freshmen will have the pressure to come in and make an impact from day one, the learning curve isn’t as steep as it normally would be with a No. 6 recruiting class.

The transition from high school to collegiate volleyball is no step to discount, however, and Landwehr recounts one aspect of the game that she had to get used to four years ago.

“Remembering back to my freshman year, it’s just a lot faster, and they have to get stronger, which a lot of them have been working on. So that’s really good,” Landwehr said.

With graduating Carly Jenson, the team’s kill leader, last season, some may say the bar is set a little too high.

It is important to note the same situation happened two years ago when Johnson-Lynch was left without All-Americans Victoria Henson and Ashley Mass. 

As time would tell, the team went on to finish two wins away from a national title, and Johnson-Lynch thinks they can do it again.

“We know that if we work hard and get better, those wins and advancing in the tournament will happen on its own,” Johnson-Lynch said.

The Cyclones begin the season on the road for the first five matches (Illinois is a doubleheader) but head home Sept. 5 to take on in-state foe Northern Iowa at Hilton Coliseum.

First serve is schedule for 6:30 p.m. and admission is free with the Cy’s Pass.