If you come to Iowa State as a middle blocker, don’t get too comfortable.

For the second year in a row, the ISU volleyball team is using the spring season as a chance to try out a middle blocker at a new position.

Last year Erin Boeve was moved to outside hitter. This spring sophomore Diane Kieger is sliding to her right for some work at rightside hitter.

The Cyclones have a hole to fill after the graduation of Lauren Cummings, who was second on the team in kills with 422 and left Iowa State with a .272 career hitting percentage, the second-best in school history.

“Who is going to replace Lauren?” said coach Christy Johnson. “It is either going to be Diane or one of our outsides, so we have to figure that out.”

Johnson said the coaches won’t make a decision until the fall, but right now, Kieger is looking comfortable.

Last season Kieger played in 18 matches, hitting .194 and averaging 1.17 blocks a game.

Life after Boeve

This spring is also about the team finding its identity without the All-American Boeve.

After starting for the past four seasons, the 2006 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year has moved on and taken her school record with her. Boeve ranks first in ISU history with 503 block assists, which is also the fifth best total in Big 12 history.

Losing Boeve’s 1.32 blocks a game, along with Cummings’ 1.06, leaves the Cyclones with a serious hole in their first line of defense.

“Losing Boeve and Lauren – those were two of the best blockers in the Big 12,” Johnson said. “When you lose your blocking numbers you have to make up for it in other ways – with defense and offensive plays.”

Moving Kieger could be part of that solution. Partnering her alongside senior middle blocker Jen Malcom at the net could even improve what was the second most formidable blocking team in the conference at 3.28 blocks a game.

The continued improvement of Malcom, who broke Boeve’s single-season block assists record last year, will be critical for a young team that is still looking for leadership.

After sitting out the 2006 season after transferring from Syracuse, Malcom made a nearly seamless transition into the starting lineup last year, and her coach is expecting even more from the Schaller native this fall.

“I think Jenna Malcom has just been awesome this spring,” Johnson said. “I think she is a great leader, she is a really hard worker, and I think she is ready to be a go-to player for us and take over some matches.”

Ready or not

The other big focuses for the team during the spring are staying healthy and consistently finding some of the younger players playing time.

Freshmen Rachel Williams and Cassie Pratt, both of whom saw limited action in their first season, have been forced into full-time duty, regardless of how they are playing.

“Rachel Williams: She’s out there all the time no matter what. It doesn’t matter if she is playing great or if she is struggling, she’s out there,” Johnson said. “It is really good, especially for the younger ones, to have to play, work through struggles and just get a lot of experience.”

With only eight players available, the Cyclones needed Cummings, who is still eligible for spring play because she is still enrolled at Iowa State, to help field a team at their spring tournament on Saturday.

The Cyclones are also without redshirt freshman Victoria Henson. The outside hitter started 23 matches but is currently suspended for academic reasons.

“She is working on that; doing great this semester,” Johnson said. “We are hopeful that she’ll be back playing with us this fall.”