Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch tied the ISU all-time wins record at 135 with the team’s victory against Missouri on Wednesday. If Iowa State can put together its first road win of the season, Johnson-Lynch will be alone at the top. 

Senior outside hitter Carly Jenson has seen her game grow under Johnson-Lynch. Although Johnson-Lynch has downplayed the record, her players have it high on their lists.

“I’ll be excited for her,” Jenson said. “Hopefully it will be a day that goes down in history.”

Senior right-side hitter Kelsey Petersen has also grown over the past four years under the guidance of Johnson-Lynch. Petersen noted that Johnson-Lynch was one of the few coaches to give her an opportunity to play. 

“It’s going to mean a lot to me because she’s given so much to me and I want to give so much back to her,” Petersen said. “Hopefully on Saturday we can help her break that.”

The Cyclones (10-2, 1-0 Big 12) are rolling on all cylinders as they head into the Texas Tech (13-1, 0-0) match. Iowa State hit a season-high .402 against Missouri and held the Tigers to just 12 points in the opening set. That is the fewest points in a set an opponent has put up so far this season.

Iowa State put up one of its best blocking performances against Missouri. The Cyclones have seen their blocking numbers improve from game to game. This is due to a switch in technique from the standard-side block to the swing block. Swing blocking makes for a more aggressive style.

“I felt like, just watching our blocking over the past couple years and our numbers we just looked stagnat,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’re pretty predictable where we set up. In a swing block, your hands don’t penetrate until the last second, so its harder for the hitter to know what’s open.”

The Cyclones are hoping the new swing blocking technique will help them end their road-game skid. They were swept by Nebraska and Northern Iowa in their previous two road games.

“We’re hoping to learn from our last two road losses and figure out how to get things done on the road,” said senior middle blocker Deb Stadick. “We’ve been tested now, so hopefully we will come out on top after it.”

Texas Tech leads the all-time series 20-13, but Iowa State has dominated the series under Johnson-Lynch. Under her leadership, the Cyclones have gone 11-1 against the Red Raiders. Eight of the victories have been sweeps. 

The Cyclones won last year’s matchup in Lubbock 3-1 while they beat them in straight sets at home. The Red Raiders’ 13-1 record could be deceiving. None of their opponents made the NCAA tournament in 2010 and only two finished in the top 100 RPI.

“I think our mindset this year needs to be that every team is good,” Staddick said. “Every team is beatable and every team can beat you. We beat UNI the past three years and this year, they kicked our butts. You can’t let [recent dominance] over a team impact your mindset.”