Cyclone sophomore Amanda Craig is rapidly becoming Iowa State’s “spark plug” on the volleyball court.

“She’s a little fireball — tenacious, aggressive, energetic — everything you want in a volleyball player,” said assistant coach Amy Farber Knowles.

At 5-foot-9, working in the setter position, Craig is one of the first players to come off the bench and help the Cyclones with offensive and defensive needs.

“I really enjoy my role coming off the bench,” Craig said. “I love communicating on the court. It’s great to be able to make a difference out there.”

Knowles said Craig is doing a good job of grasping her role.

“Amanda works very hard,” she said. “She has a great personality and smile and has a cheerful disposition on the court.

“She knows the game really well. It takes more than just athletic ability to play volleyball. It’s a complex game, and the more you play, the easier it gets.

“Amanda has played for a number of years, and she sees things out there that some don’t see. Thus, it gives her a bigger area to cover on the court. And the amount of court experience she gets makes her more valuable to the team.”

Craig hails from West Des Moines and attended Valley High School. Craig ended her high school career by earning first-team all-state honors as a senior.

She was a four-year starter who earned all-conference and all-district honors in her last three seasons.

So far this season, Craig has played in 13 matches and is second on the team with 132 assists. She also has 52 digs on the season.

“Amanda’s really improved since last year,” senior Lindsey Chapman said.

“She had so many injuries. She’s done a really good job getting into condition and contributing to the team.”

Craig played in 21 matches last season before a knee injury forced her to the sidelines for the rest of the year.

“I had three different injuries last year,” Craig said. “The first two were on the left knee, and it was because of a staph infection. The doctors cut me open and cleaned it out.

“It was well on its way to being healed, then it busted open again, so I had to have a second surgery. The third injury was to my right shoulder, to the rotator cuff. That was from both volleyball and softball in high school.”

Craig said she picked Iowa State because it’s close to her home.

“I just love the players, they made sure I felt like I was one of them. Everyone is so supportive,” she said.

Craig also said to improve on their 2-7 conference mark, the Cyclones need to play better, realizing the competition in the Big 12 Conference will always be tough.

“We need to get the message in our heads that we are good,” she said.

“We will win more games this year.”