VOLLEYBALL: Bears shock Cyclones 3-0 at Ferrell Center

Sophomore middle blocker Debbie Stadick takes a swing at the net for Iowa State in their 3-0 against Baylor on Wednesday night. Photo: Shanna Taylor/The Baylor Lariat

Shanna Taylor

Sophomore middle blocker Debbie Stadick takes a swing at the net for Iowa State in their 3-0 against Baylor on Wednesday night. Photo: Shanna Taylor/The Baylor Lariat

Shane Lucas

The No. 11 Iowa State volleyball team suffered it second straight road loss, falling 3–0 (25–23, 25–19, 33–31) to No. 24 Baylor on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

The Bears (13–1, 2–1 Big 12) were able to contain the Cyclones (9–2, 1–2) at the net and hold them to a below-average .172 hitting percentage to Baylor’s .222.

Errors were also a problem for the Cyclones as junior outside hitter Victoria Henson recorded eight and sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday had seven of the team’s 21 attack errors.

The Cyclones dropped the first set despite a small run to bring them back from a 24–21 deficit. The team hit .255, which is above Baylor’s defensive average of .124. The Cyclones had the advantage at the net, recording four blocks to Baylor’s one.

The second set was a much different story as Iowa State hit only .067 and was out-killed 17–10 by Baylor. Baylor took the lead at 9–8 and didn’t look back as two runs by the Bears left the Cyclones behind 17–14 and later 21–16. Although Baylor committed more errors in the set, the Cyclones weren’t able to capitalize.

The third set was the tightest of all, yielding 17 ties and nine match points. After both teams started with 3–0 runs, the score jumped back and forth until Baylor held a 24–23 advantage. Hockaday kept the Cyclones alive with two kills that put them on top 25–24. The Cyclones held a 31–30 lead when senior middle blocker Diane Kieger’s service error opened the door for Baylor to finish the match.

One bright spot for the Cyclones was senior setter Kaylee Manns. Manns, who finished with 41 assists, jumped two spots to ninth on the Big 12’s all-time assists list. She needed 11 to crack the top 10, which she achieved in the first set while she recorded the 29 that she need for ninth place in the third set.

Baylor’s balanced attack was led by senior setter Taylor Barnes, who finished with a triple-double by recording 10 kills, 38 assists and 11 digs. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Torri Campbell and redshirt junior middle blocker Ashlie Christenson also finished with double-digit kills with 10 and 11, respectively.

Five Baylor players recorded double-digit digs as the Bears out-dug the Cyclones 79–72. The match marked only the second time the Cyclones have been out-dug this season.

Hockaday was able to break her streak of five matches without 10 kills as she finished with 11, including three in the later stretch of the third set. Junior libero Ashley Mass led the Cyclones with 33 digs while Henson recorded a match-high 17 kills, making it her seventh straight match in double figures. Kieger and sophomore middle blocker Debbie Stadick both recorded seven kills.

The Cyclones will be back in action at home on Saturday as they take on Kansas State at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.