Iowa State volleyball Coach Jackie Nunez feels much better about her team after its first tournament than she did at this time last season.

The Cyclones swept the competition at the Creighton Tournament in Omaha, Neb., over the weekend, beating Missouri-Kansas City, Arkansas State and host Creighton. Last season, ISU lost its first four matches and did not pick up its third victory until the tenth match of the season.

“Oh, there is just a completely different feeling to the team this year after the first tournament,” Nunez said Tuesday. “Our September schedule was just too difficult for us last year. It feels a lot better coming back 3-0, then 0-3.”

ISU finished with a 7-25 overall record last season, and 3-17 in the Big 12 Conference. This after getting to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 1995.

“I don’t every want to be 7-25 in anything I do,” ISU outside hitter Heidi Rogers said.

Rogers, Colleen Henican, Julie McGrath and true freshman Jennifer Collins all were named to the all-tournament for ISU. Henican was named Most Valuable Player.

Henican, the team’s only returning starter, is at loss to explain what happened last season.

“I don’t know what happened last season,” Henican said. “If we would have known what we were doing wrong last season, we would have done something to stop it.”

ISU opened the Creighton Tournament last weekend by sweeping Arkansas State in three games, scoring 15-5, 15-13, 15-6.

McGrath, a setter who has been a regular on the team for two seasons, said the wins get their season off on the right foot.

“Winning the first game in three games instead of five just gave us a jump start,” said McGrath. “And we just kept that momentum going from there.”

ISU then beat Creighton in five games and Missouri-Kansas City in four. Nunez said Creighton provided the most competition for her young team.

“They gave us trouble because their strengths are areas we are very vulnerable in,” she said. “We had a very difficult time defending their middle attack and they did a good job of passing the ball.”

Henican led the team with 55 kills for the tournament. Rogers added 25 kills and Collins added 22. McGrath had 137 assists during the tournament.

Henican said she likes the fact the team can go to more than one player to put the ball away.

“Our attack is very diversified, she said, “Everybody out on the floor can hit and hit hard. Our team doesn’t just one star, we’re all pretty equal.”

Collins, from Arapahoe, Neb., said she liked returning to her home state for her first collegiate action.

“My family showed up and I got to go back to my home state, so that was really nice for the first tournament,” Collins said.

“That made it a little less nerve-wracking.”

Collins did admit to a case of the nerves before the tournament, though.

“At first I was really nervous,” she said, “Coming in as a freshman and being told you are going to start — that is a really exciting and nerve-wracking thing for me.”

Collins, who was playing in high school last season, said last season’s memories are hard for her returning teammates to forget.

“A lot of the upperclassmen stressed to us very much how it’s not fun to have a losing season,” she said.

“We all feel it is important to have a good start and show people that we do have a good volleyball team.”