AMES — Iowa State hosts Iowa for its 56th meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones come into this game with a 3-2 record after losing a heartbreaker to Illinois on Saturday.
Iowa State hopes to break the state of Iowa volleyball attendance record: it was previously set at Hilton Coliseum with 10,203 fans in attendance in 2009.
Cyclones head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch spoke on where the team is after five games to start their season.
“I think our defense is really starting to come together,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’re starting to play Iowa State defense. We still have some work to do on offense. Those numbers are not where we want them to be.”
Iowa State is led by preseason All Big-12 selection Nayeli Gonzalez, freshman Rachel Van Gorp, Pam McCune, Maya Duckworth, Morgan Brandt and numerous depth pieces.
Gonzalez and Duckworth lead the team with a combined 111 kills and a .206 and .213 hitting percentage, respectively. Brandt has been essential in setting up strong attackers in Gonzalez and Duckworth. She leads the team with an astounding 189 assists and 8.59 assists per set.
“We’re still learning a lot about each other and how to work through the highs and lows,” Brandt said. “We are super excited for this week to keep learning and growing as a team.”
Brandt and junior Faith DeRonde are both Iowa natives and have talked about what this rivalry means to them.
“Every year it is one of the best games of the year,” Brandt said. “Growing up here, the rivalry is so real.”
“Coming to these games as a kid and now getting to play in them is super cool,” DeRonde said.
On the defensive end, Van Gorp leads the team with 84 digs and 3.65 digs per set. McCune has been a brick wall for any opposing attackers. She leads the team with 24 blocks and 1.20 blocks per set.
Kiersten Schmitt, Amiree Hendricks-Walker, Lilly Wachholz, and Emily Bobbitt are among some of the depth pieces the Cyclones have leaned on during the start of this season. Schmitt, Hendricks-Walker and Wachholz have combined for a strong 95 kills.
Bobbitt was most impressive in her outing against Wake Forest, where she tallied 25 assists and an ace to finish off the game.
The Hawkeyes are led by Claire Ammeraal, Hannah Whittingstall and Michelle Urquhart. Ammeraal has been incredible for Iowa this season tallying 44 kills, a .348 hitting percentage and 159 aces. Whittingstall and Urquhart have combined for an impressive 16 aces and 73 kills.
On the defensive end, Joy Galles and Whittingstall have been impressive. Galles leads the Hawkeyes with 71 digs and 3.74 digs per set. Whittingstall has been a force on the front line with 23 blocks and 1.44 blocks per set.
Iowa and Iowa State collide at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hilton Coliseum. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
