Victoria Henson was a silent assassin on Friday night, recording 22 kills during the 12th-ranked Cyclones’ four-set victory over North Dakota State at Ames High School.

This was the first time the All-American had recorded 20 kills in a game this season. The last time Henson was as productive was last year’s match against Baylor in Ames in which the Leavenworth, Kan. native recorded 24 kills.

“[Henson] absolutely took over the match at the end and that’s really exciting to see,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I think all great teams need that type of player who can just take over a match, and she rose to the occasion tonight. We really needed her and she came through big time.”

The Cyclones hit .282 on the night, going on to defeat the Bison — who hit just .096 — by the set score of 25-11, 21-25, 25-14, and 25-17.

True freshman Kristen Hahn started the third set in place of junior outside hitter Carly Jenson. Johnson-Lynch made the call to give Jenson a rest and give Hahn some experience.

“Kristen has great energy, she has great ball control, she’s a superior defensive player,” Johnson-Lynch said. “So we thought ‘let’s give Carly a little rest if we can and get Kristen in there, who we have great confidence in’.”

The defensive effort shined with season-record figures as senior libero Ashley Mass recorded 24 digs. Junior defensive specialist Caitlin Mahoney also picked up a season-best 13 digs for the Cyclones.

“I think Mass and Caitlin were moving around in different positions a little bit to see if they could play some different spots depending on where we think the ball is going to get hit,” Johnson-Lynch said. “And I think we’re doing a good job with that.” 

The Cyclones take on South Dakota State tomorrow at Ames High School at 11 a.m.