When the Iowa State women’s volleyball team exploded out of the gates last season with an 8-0 record, including two tournament crowns, excitement for the team grew on campus and expectations for a successful season were high.

When they lost 23 of their remaining 25 matches, notching only one conference victory and failing to win another match at home, the enthusiasm quickly disappeared.

Unfortunately for the 1998 Cyclones, so did much of last season’s talent.

Senior Heidi Rogers was fifth on the team in kills (155), fourth in serving aces (19), third in digs (228), and fourth in blocks (40).

Rogers’ eligibility has expired.

Freshman Kelly Cizek was the most highly touted volleyball recruit in recent memory. Honored as the 1997 Nebraska Girls’ High School Athlete of the Year and the first ever Volleyball Magazine “Fab 50 recruit” to enroll at Iowa State, she brought with her high expectations.

Cizek is now exclusively a basketball player at ISU.

Freshman Jennifer Collins led the Cyclone squad in blocks (84), was fourth in serving aces (19) and third in kills (207).

Collins is now reportedly living in Nebraska.

Sophomore Andrea Thul was second on the team in kills (304), digs (255) and aces (30) in her first season as a starter.

Thul is now reportedly living in Minnesota.

Junior Colleen Henican emerged in 1997 as one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the Big 12 conference. She led the team in both kills (549) and digs (428) and was second in aces (30) and third in blocks (50). She made all-tournament teams in every tournament she competed in, was fifth in the Big 12 in kills per game at 4.73 (the best season average in Cyclone history), and finished second in the Big 12 with 3.69 digs per game.

Henican will compete this season as a Purdue Boilermaker.

Sound pretty bad? It gets worse.

The only newcomers to this season’s squad are freshman Jessica Ovitz, sophomore Ashley Grundmann and junior transfer Sarah Pieper. Filling the void left by the likes of Henican, Thul and Rogers is not going to be easy.

Cyclone head coach Kerry Miller didn’t expect it to be.

“We have our work cut out for us as a staff. A lot of players have left, and very few have come in to fill the holes. We’re looking to train our athletes to a new system, and we’ll just have to work through the tough times.”

Despite the losses, Coach Miller believes this team has potential and is excited about working with them and competing against a tough slate of Big 12 opponents.

One area the Cyclones are still very strong in is setting. Only two players on the team averaged more than one assist per game last season, and both will be back for 1998.

Senior Julie McGrath led ISU in assists last season with 1094 (over 10 per game). She also led the team in aces with 38 and brings a great deal of leadership and experience to a team that desperately needs it.

Sara Walters averaged 5.41 assists per game as a freshman and looks to continue to excel in ’98.

Pieper, who transfers to ISU from Illinois Central Community College, was named first-team All-America by the AVCA and NJCAA after leading her team to the national junior college tournament and a school-record 54 victories. Pieper, also a setter, racked up 1603 assists last season and ended her community college career with 2941.

Unfortunately, Pieper, Walters and McGrath may not have many targets to set to.

The only Cyclone returner to bring more than 70 kills from the 1997 season is Virginia Hoss. Her total of 197 was fourth on the team, but she can’t handle all of the offensive duties by herself. Sophomore Stacy Nicks will need to continue to improve after an impressive rookie year.

Redshirt freshmen Melissa Duffield, Lindsay Robinson, Nanette Allen and Tanisha Woods will also be called upon to make an impact in their first seasons of collegiate competition.

Expectations may not be astronomical for the 1998 Cyclone volleyball team, but this group may just have the talent and drive to raise a few eyebrows.