When it comes to taking charges, there is no one on the ISU women’s basketball team better than junior forward Chelsea Poppens.

Just ask coach Bill Fennelly.

“She’s a highly competitive kid and — even though she’s a little undersized for our league — has the physical strength and competitive spirit that it takes to do those kinds of things,” Fennelly said.

“There’s no one on our team that even comes close when it comes to taking charging fouls and things like that and she’s that way every day.”

At 6 feet 2 inches, Poppens said defense has always played a big part of her game.

“I’m not exactly a good outside shooter, so I just draw from my strengths and that is one of my strengths,” Poppens said of her defense. “Even if my shots aren’t falling, what I keep in mind is on defense, I’ve got to stop them because if we stop them, then every other one of my teammates has a chance to make it on the offensive end even if I’m not hitting it.”

Her father, Tony Poppens, said she has been drawing charges ever since she was little.

“She’s never really blocked shots per se, she is just going to take a charge,” Tony said.

Tony doesn’t take credit for teaching his daughter how to make one of the most exciting plays for fans and teammates alike in basketball. He said she started doing it on her own.

Once she started playing for Aplington-Parkersburg High School, Poppens said she started to develop her ability.

Now, Poppens leads the Cyclones with 26 charges drawn this season. The player next behind her? Senior guard Lauren Mansfield with nine.

“It’s just kind of one of my strengths and I’ve built off of it from high school and that’s just what I’ve been good at,” Poppens said. “I’ve been good at being able to get my feet in the right position and just being able to take that charge when necessary.”

Drawing charging fouls isn’t a very common occurrence in girl’s high school basketball. Tony said she didn’t always get the benefit of the doubt from the referees for that reason.

“I don’t think they had ever seen anybody who could quite move like she did and get in front of people, but it’s her thing,” he said.

This season, a focal point for Iowa State has been keeping up the effort and intensity the entire game and not letting close ones slip away. Poppens has been a player Fennelly has talked about as one who has put in the effort every game.

Anna Prins said that helps motivate the other players to do the same.

“Whether it’s going after loose balls or rebounds that are totally out of her area, she is all over the place,” Prins said. “I look at that and it is motivating for me and I know there’s other girls on that team that feel this way.”

Poppens said she always tries to lead by example and that defense is always a priority for her because it has helped them pull out some close contests.

“It’s what keeps us in the games and what has kept us in the games these past few games and it’s just key,” Poppens said.

The outcome of a game often relies heavily on which team gets the biggest swing in momentum.

Prins said Poppens’ aggressiveness on defense helps give the team just that.

“I think when that does happen in games that it definitely changes the momentum, it gives us confidence,” Prins said. “Just knowing that one of my teammates is there to step in and take charges and put herself out there, sometimes I don’t even know how she does it.”

Besides helping her team get the opponent in foul trouble, Poppens leads Iowa State in both points and rebounds with 14.9 and 11.3.

Fennelly said it’s because she does the “dirty work.”

“She rebounds, she scores around the basket, she takes charges,” Fennelly said. “She’s a kid that, to her credit, has really maximized what she has.”

En route to leading the team in points and rebounds this season, Poppens has ended up with her fair share of bumps and bruises, including a knee injury at the beginning of the season.

Even with her nagging injuries, Poppens continues to make the hustle plays Fennelly talked about every game. She even has “Next Play” written on her shoes to help her move on after a fall or missed shot.

“You do what you have to, like the hustle plays, [and] just keep moving forward,” Poppens said. “Move past the mistakes and just stay positive.”