Cyclones hop all over Kangaroos
September 6, 2006
It was a cruise to the finish for the ISU volleyball team as it swept the University of Missouri-Kansas City in three brief games Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.
With an experienced ISU team rattling the Kangaroos, the Cyclones were able to bring new talent off the bench and into the statistics.
“I wanted to play well enough where we could bring in some of our younger players, and we got the chance to do that and they played very well,” said ISU coach Christy Johnson. “I thought that we looked organized and we weren’t scrambling.”
Senior Nicole Lorenzen agreed this game was the ideal stepping stone for many newcomers to see time on the court.
FASTTRAK
Volleyball Schedule 2006:
>> Hawkeye Challenge
August 25 – Chicago State – at Iowa City 3 – 0 (W)
Aug. 26 – Drake – at Iowa City 3 – 0 (W)
Aug. 26 – Iowa – at Iowa City 3 – 2 (W)
>> Aug. 30 – Northern Iowa – Ames 3 – 1 (W)
>> Holiday Inn Irvine Classic
Sept. 1 – UC Irvine – at Irvine, Calif. 3 – 0 (W)
Sept. 2 – Michigan – at Irvine, Calif. 1 – 3 (L)
Sept. 2 – San Diego – at Irvine, Calif. 2 – 3 (L)
>> Sept. 6 – UMKC – Ames 3 – 0 (W)
>> Cyclone Classic
6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 – Valparaiso – Ames
4 p.m. Sept. 9 – South Dakota State – Ames
6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 – Baylor – Ames
>> 7 p.m. Sept. 20 – Nebraska – at Lincoln, Neb.
>> 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23 – Oklahoma – Ames
>> 7 p.m. Sept. 27 – Kansas State – at Manhattan, Kan.
>> 7 p.m. Sept. 30 – Kansas – at Lawrence, Kan.
>> 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 – Texas – Ames
>> 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 – Missouri – Ames
>> 8 p.m. Oct. 11 – Colorado – at Boulder, Colo.
>> 7 p.m. Oct. 14 – Texas Tech – at Lubbock
, Texas
>> 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 – Texas A&M – Ames
>> 7 p.m. Oct. 21 – Baylor – at Waco, Texas
>> 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 – Kansas State – Ames
>> 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 – Missouri – at Columbia, Mo.
>> 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 – Kansas – Ames
>> 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 – Nebraska – Ames
>> 2 p.m. Nov. 12 – Texas A&M – at College Station, Texas
>> 5 p.m. Nov. 15 – Texas Tech – Ames
>> 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 – Texas – at Austin, Texas
>> 7 p.m. Nov. 22 – Oklahoma – at Norman, Okla.
>> 2 p.m. Nov. 25 – Colorado – Ames
>> NCAA First/Second Rounds
Nov. 30 – Dec. 3
>> NCAA Regionals
Dec. 7 – Dec. 10
>> NCAA Championship
Dec. 14 – Dec. 16
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“We’ve all been freshmen and know that when you can go into a game like this, you can be more relaxed and get into the flow of the game,” she said. “It’s better in a game like this instead of going into a bigger game or when you’re losing by a ton.”
The team’s regular lineup of experienced players took the court in game one, quickly racking up a lead against the struggling Kangaroos. Senior Katie Jessen and junior Erin Boeve made the match look effortless with rapid kills, and before long the only UMKC points were from Cyclone errors.
UMKC was hard-pressed to find any holes in the ISU defense and was unable to handle the blistering offense it was being served.
“Our game plan was to focus on our side of the net and just play how we play best,” Lorenzen said. “We didn’t change how we played according to the team, and we came out with the mentality that we needed to win.”
When UMKC earned its first points of the night at a score of 14-5, Iowa State’s younger players came out swinging. Sophomore Mary Bisenius and junior Lauren Cummings each recorded three kills in the game, and freshman setter Kaylee Manns tallied 13 kills. Blocks by Cummings and freshman Diane Kieger kept the UMKC flustered, and a final block by senior Jessica Klein sealed the first game 30-9.
“We really wanted to work on setting the middle and right side, getting them a lot of balls, and I think we did that,” Johnson said. “I think everyone knew we wanted to get some younger players in.”
The bench became even more important in the contest as Kieger increased her game by notching six kills, and Boeve chipped in five. Although the Kangaroos created ways to creep closer, they never found a lead and suffered a 19-30 loss in the game.
Game three was the Kangaroos nearest to closing the gap, but four more kills from Kieger and Bisenius kept the Cyclones afloat. UMKC rattled off a six-point streak before Iowa State capped the game with a 30-21 victory.
Johnson said she was pleased with the way all the freshmen performed, including Kieger’s role in the lineup.
“She’s someone who looks like she’s coming more and more ready to play, and I think she can really help us out,” she said. “If our middle is having an off night, I see her being able to step in and help.”
Kieger finished the night with 10 kills on 13 attempts for a .692 hitting percentage, fourth-best in ISU volleyball match history.
Bisenius led the team with 10 kills each. Boeve finished with eight.
The Cyclones collected a .392 mark overall, keeping UMKC to -.055 on the night and recording 36 more kills.
Manns and sophomore Alyssa Gintant split setting duties, collectively accruing 52 assists to the Kangaroos 17. Iowa State also garnered seven more blocks than its opponent.
With the Cyclone Classic approaching this weekend, the game was an opportune chance for newcomers to find their groove on the court and within the lineup.
“If they can go in with a team they can play with and you can be comfortable, it’s really good for them,” she said. “It gives them an opportunity to learn how to play at the Division I level and have a lot of fun with it.”
Other volleyball resources from ISD:
Cyclones ‘set’ for change (08/23)
Experienced volleyball team ready to spike the competition(08/23)
Fast Facts: Volleyball terms(08/23)
ISU volleyball team competing for points in Cy-Hawk series(08/25)
Cyclones lead in competition(08/28)
Cyclone volleyball opens home season against rival Northern Iowa(08/30)
Cyclone volleyball topples Panthers for second year(08/31)
Irvine game gives captain chance to play at home (09/01)
