Iowa State took the trip Thursday to Provo, Utah for the first of two matches against Big 12 newcomer, No. 9 BYU, but could not come away with a victory.
The Cyclones did not take a set from the Cougars and were swept (25-14, 25-17, 25-18). Here are three takeaways from the Cyclones’ third conference loss.
Offensive struggles
The Cyclones’ biggest problem in the match was their struggle on the attack. Iowa State had a hitting percentage of just .089, its lowest on the season. On the season the Cyclones have been hitting .259, but they just could not get any sort of momentum on the offensive side.
Standout players like Maya Duckworth and Nayeli Gonzalez each had off nights by their standards. Duckworth reached 10 kills on the night, but they were matched with 10 errors, leading to an uncharacteristic .000 hitting.
Gonzalez was held to one of her lowest kill totals of the season, having only eight, which is one of the few times she has been held under double-digit kills.
Too much offense from BYU
BYU not only had a great night defensively, but they excelled on offense as well.
BYU had an elite hitting percentage of .370 on the night, the second-highest percentage the Cyclones have allowed all season. On the season, Iowa State has only allowed its opponents to hit an average of .183 on the season, but the Cougars were just too much to handle Thursday night.
BYU’s offense was led by Erin Livingston, who had 15 kills with a hitting percentage of .542 while also notching three blocks and three digs.
Short-term memory
Earlier in the week, head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said that going into the team’s matches with BYU, she was looking for mental toughness.
“I’m looking for resilience, especially on the road in a tough gym,” Johnson-Lynch said.
The Cyclones will have to show that resilience, as they have to turn right around tomorrow night and face BYU again.
If they can shake off tonight’s tough match, they should be much more competitive the second time around. If they let Thursday night’s loss linger in their minds, they could be in for another tough night Friday.
The Cyclones will look to get back on track Friday night in the second match of the series against BYU. The match will tip off at 8:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
