Brittany Dalager just couldn’t stop smiling.

After winning 12 matches last season, the most since the 1995 NCAA Tournament team, the ISU volleyball team is ready to prove that it isn’t like Cyclone teams of the past.

“When I came in as a freshman, we were struggling,” Dalager said at Iowa State’s media day last week. “We’re growing and we’re so versatile this year.”

What is probably the biggest improvement and the best asset to this year’s squad is depth.

“We have something we’ve never had before — depth in every position,” said junior middle blocker Ashlie McWee. “Everyday is a competition to earn your spot on the court. It brings out the best in us every day.”

Associate head coach Amy Farber Knowles said this is the first season that every day there is a possibility for a different starting lineup.

“That’s a first time that I know that [head coach Linda Crum] has had that kind of joy in her spirit about actually having some depth on the team,” Knowles said. “We have a bench and challenges in practice where they have to work hard for positions. Even that has elevated our play.”

To improve upon last year’s 12-19 overall record, the Cyclones need to replace the voids left by last year’s seniors: outside hitter Renae Pruess, setter Lindsey Chapman and back row specialist Dana Koziol.

Two players expected to contribute are sophomore outside hitters Katie Jessen and Nicole Lorenzen. Jessen finished 2003 with 158 kills and Lorenzen with 109.

Knowles said Jessen and Lorenzen both put in a lot of time during the spring and summer.

“When they started preseason, they were in great shape,” Knowles said. “They’re going to get a lot of balls this year.”

As one of the smaller teams in the conference, the Cyclones plan to make use of their size disadvantage.

“We are quick,” Lorenzen said. “The sets are quick, so we can beat the block. Our quickness is an asset.”

Junior middle blockers Katie Kruenegel and McWee will continue to be a force at the net. Last season Kruenegel and McWee finished with 198 and 283 kills apiece and 94 and 130 blocks respectively.

Erin Boeve, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter and middle blocker, is a newcomer who Knowles expects will get playing time.

“She is by far a physical specimen in the Big 12. She’s the level of athlete we want to get across the board,” Knowles said. “Height-wise, physical-wise, strength-wise, agility-wise; she’s going to get playing time because we just can’t keep her off the court.”

One of the biggest changes will be Dalager’s move from outside hitter to setter while junior setter Amanda Craig heals from a knee injury.

Dalager has been the Cyclone’s most versatile player. Last season, she recorded 291 kills and 373 digs.

“She’s a workhorse,” Knowles said. “She’s been training very hard in the setter role.”

“It’s just a matter of saving that shoulder as much as we can,” Knowles said. “If she needs to be in the setter role, we have a lot of confidence, and if she doesn’t, then we have even more depth in the outside.”

“I’m just excited to get started. All this talking about [the first games],” Dalager said. “We’ve been practicing against each other for so long, we’re waiting for some competition.”