The 1998 Cyclone volleyball squad notched its first win of the season on Saturday at the Nanook Classic, earning Head Coach Kerry Miller her first victory in the cardinal and gold.

The Cyclones defeated host school Alaska-Fairbanks in five games. The Cyclones trailed two games to none entering the third and fought off four match points before securing an 18-16 victory.

They then rolled over the Nanooks in the next two games, winning 15-8 in both contests.

“It is important for us to get the first win under our belt,” Miller said. “We showed a lot of heart and played through our mental errors and came out with a victory.”

Senior middle blocker Virginia Hoss led the offense, as she did all tournament. Hoss tallied career-highs in both kills (24) and digs (18).

Sophomore Stacy Nicks and freshman Nanette Allen both also managed career-highs in kills, with 17 and 11, respectively.

Sarah Pieper started at the setter position and recorded 63 assists, one of the ten best single-match efforts in Cyclone history.

The victory over the Nanooks came on the heels of two straight losses, to the UNLV Rebels and the Duke Blue Devils.

Iowa State lost to the Rebels, eventual tournament champions, in three games (13-15, 5-15, 12-15). The Cyclones built a 13-6 advantage in the first game, but gave up nine unanswered points.

Cyclone highlights included 11 kills for Hoss and 25 assists for senior setter Julie McGrath.

After this first game, Miller was still optimistic.

“It’s a young season, and we have a lot of players that are inexperienced,” Miller said. “And most of those players still need time to learn their positions and the game of volleyball.”

In their second match, ISU was swept by Duke 15-8, 15-13, 15-12.

Hoss managed 17 kills and 10 digs and Pieper recorded 36 assists.

The Cyclones were done in by 12 Duke service aces after suffering 13 in the UNLV match.

Miller saw improvement in the team, but felt they needed to respond better in clutch moments.

“Our inability to control the ball in crucial situations cost us too many points and, consequently, too many games.”

Hoss, who had 52 kills and 33 digs during the three-day competition, was named to the all-tournament team.

After Saturday’s victory, Miller was full of optimism and enthusiasm.

“I am looking forward to more improvements throughout the season as we build a new tradition of excellence at ISU.”