Iowa State begins the post-Victoria Henson/Ashley Mass era Friday when the Cyclones take on Cincinnati in the NIU Invitational.

Replacing two All-Americans is no easy task, but the Cyclones (20-8, 13-7 Big 12 last season) have reloaded on talent, earning them the No. 25 recruiting class and the No. 18 preseason rank.

Freshman outside hitter Victoria Hurtt has shown great potential. She finished with 18 kills in four games during the team’s Cardinal and Gold scrimmage.

“She competes,” said coach Christy-Johnson Lynch. “That’s her best quality — she can terminate. If you have someone that can terminate, she’s going to be out there. She’s doing a really nice job on the left side for us.”

Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Willms was voted Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year.

Senior outside hitter Rachel Hockaday will play in her first official match since tearing her ACL early last season.

While Johnson-Lynch saw some good things during the team’s scrimmage, there is still room for improvements.

“We have to get our middles going on the slides a little bit better,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We have to make sure our outsides are getting kills in transition. We tend to not get a great approach and hit low in the blocks.”

The Bearcats (30-6, 13-1 Big East last season) are picked to finish third in the Big East conference. They are the defending Big East regular-season champions.

Middle blocker Jordanne Scott is a key returning starter for Cincinnati. Scott was voted an AVCA All-American for the 2010 season and was also a 2010 All-Big East team member.

She returns as a preseason All-Big East member.

During the NIU Inviational, Iowa State will also go against IUPUI and Northern Illinois. NIU is picked to win the MAC for the first time in program history and IUPUI is coming off a 8-22 season.

“This weekend will be very, very tough for us,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Northern Illinois is picked to win the MAC for the first time ever and Cincinnati is a very good team. They traditionally have a great program.”

Iowa State is still trying to finalize its lineup. That, Johnson-Lynch said, will be solidified after the first few weeks of the season.

The outside hitters have four players competing for two spots. Senior outside hitter Carly Jenson, junior middle back Jamie Straube and senior right -side Kelsey Petersen have already secured significant playing time.