Iowa State is going to be thankful for all the rest they have gotten the past two weeks. After a 3-0 sweep of Baylor, the road only gets tougher.

Their next match is against Texas A&M on Saturday in College Station, Texas. The Aggies are fourth in the Big 12 while Iowa State sits on top of conference standings.

The challenge isn’t going to stop there. Three of the next four matches for the Cyclones are against teams in the top half of the Big 12 standings. This includes rematches with No. 10 Texas and No. 22 Oklahoma on the road.

Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch is aware of the challenges that face her team in the next few weeks. She feels it will be a good progress marker. 

“It’s good that we have our rest now, because it’s going to be a really tough grind over the next few weeks,” Johnson-Lynch said at the weekly press conference. “This will really tell us where were at.”

Johnson-Lynch was especially impressed with the teams blocking effort. The Cyclones’ 13 total team blocks was the highest of the season.

Freshman outside hitter Victoria Hurtt saw some playing time towards the end of the Baylor match and recorded a two kills and an assist.

“The position where Hannah Wilms, and sometimes Victoria Hurtt, play has been starting to produce a little more, so that was good to see,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Willms has seen her stats improve over the past two games. She finished with eight kills and eight blocks against Baylor. Willms also posted impressive numbers against Oklahoma with her career-high 13 kills.

With all the time off in the past two weeks, Johnson-Lynch has mixed feelings about having two straight bye weeks. 

“This week I do kind of wish we were playing, but I also like the rest,” Johnson-Lynch said. “In volleyball there is so much jumping, and it’s really hard on the body. [When that happens] you start to lose that pop.

“At the same time, you don’t want to have so much time in between matches where the players start to lose their timing.”

Another thing Johnson-Lynch has seen in the recent victories is offensive balance. In the victories over Baylor, Oklahoma, Kansas and a five-set loss to Texas, Iowa State has had four players with at least four kills.

“Balanced offense can be good,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Right now, we’re seeing that some nights. I do think great teams have someone that can step up and carry the load every night.”

So far this season, the most consistent player in attack has been senior outside hitter Carly Jenson. The Omaha, Neb., native is averaging 3.77 kills per set. She has racked up 234 total kills and is hitting .249. Her 234 total kills is fifth in the Big 12.