The Iowa State volleyball team looks to build off of its 1-1 start in Las Vegas last week as the Cyclones welcome Toledo, Wake Forest and Illinois to Ames for the Cyclone Invitational.
Iowa State will be celebrating head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch’s 20th year leading the team. The Cyclones have totaled 10 20-win seasons under Johnson-Lynch, including the past two seasons. Johnson-Lynch has an overall record of 370-201 and a 203-125 record in conference play.
Sophomore Nayeli Gonzalez and freshman Rachel Van Gorp look to build off of their impressive performances from the previous weekend. Gonzalez brought in over 20 points in both matches, and Van Gorp had two 19-dig matches.
Iowa State begins the tournament against Toledo at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The Rockets are coming off of a three-game sweep in the Bearcat Classic, so they will be no pushover.
Toledo is led by three returning starters, including fifth-year senior Taylor Alt, junior Izzy Granger and sophomore Macy Hatkevich. Alt was named to the Preseason All-MAC team and is the program leader in kills, kills per set and attacks.
The Cyclones will then transition their focus to Wake Forest, an ACC foe. This will be the first matchup of all time between the two programs. The Demon Deacons are off to a 2-1 start, picking up wins vs. Big 12 opponent West Virginia in five sets and a sweep against Navy.
Wake Forest is led by an impressive trio of seniors: Olivia Franke, Kalani Whillock and Kendall Phillips. Franke is the longest-tenured player on the team and ranks in the top 15 in the program’s all-time career individuals for total blocks, solo blocks and assisted blocks.
Iowa State will finish the tournament with a matchup against Illinois. The Fighting Illini started off their season strong with a 3-0 start. They are led by two-time All-Big Ten First Team member Raina Terry. Terry ranks 10th in program history with 1,634 kills.
The Cyclones begin the Cyclone Invitational at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Toledo. Iowa State will then play Wake Forest at 6:30 p.m. Friday and will wrap things up at 4 p.m. Saturday against Illinois. All games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
