A record was broken and history was made this past Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch is now the all-time leader in wins in ISU volleyball coaching history. 

This last win, a three-set sweep of Texas Tech (25-16, 25-18, 25-16), marked win No. 136 for Johnson-Lynch, passing Vicki Mealer, who held the record at 135 since 1992.

“It just means that I’ve been here a long time and I’m fortunate to work with great people,” Johnson-Lynch said in a news release. “I think it’s a reflection of the program, the strides we’ve made, the recruits we’ve been able to bring in and develop.”

Leading No. 16 Iowa State (11-2, 2-0 Big 12) was senior Carly Jenson with 16 kills and 11 digs, notching her seventh double-double of the year. Behind Jenson, was redshirt freshman Hannah Willms, posting her second straight double-digit kill game with 10.  

Adding to that, setter Allison Landwehr had a double-double with 41 assists and 11 digs.

On the defensive side, Iowa State out-blocked Texas Tech 9-6, and held the Red Raiders to a dismal .049 hitting clip. Leading the Cyclones in blocking was Tenisha Matlock, who had seven. 

The win against Texas Tech (13-2, 0-1) is the second win of the season in the Big 12  for the Cyclones. When Johnson-Lynch first was brought in to coach, Iowa State was coming off of a 1-19 conference record. With this win, Johnson Lynch has amassed a 74-47 record in Big 12 play, including a 31-10 record the last two years.

Another one of the many areas that have increased since Johnson-Lynch’s arrival is home attendance.

When Johnson-Lynch started in 2005, the average home attendance was 623. In one year, that number jumped to more than 1,000 and was the 36th-best in the nation.

That number steadily climbed each year until it peaked in 2009, when the average home attendance was 2,734, good enough the ninth-best in the country. 

“When I first got to Hilton I felt like there was no pressure put on opponents. People could come in here and not be too concerned about playing us on our home court,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Now I know hearing from other coaches they don’t like coming into the Hilton Coliseum. 

“I think we have a tremendous atmosphere, a great fan base and Hilton has become one of the best volleyball venues in the country.”

The next match for the ISU volleyball team will be another Big 12 battle as they will travel to take on Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., this Wednesday night.