AMES – Hilton Coliseum was a packed house for the 56th Cy-Hawk volleyball matchup. The Cyclones took care of business in front of the home crowd, beating Iowa 3-1 Wednesday night.
“We thought it would be a pretty fun atmosphere, and it was that and more,” Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said.
The Cyclones entered the match with a 3-2 record following a 2-1 finish at the Cyclone Invitational. The Hawkeyes had a 4-1 record, also going 2-1 at their home invitational.
Iowa State came out firing in the first two sets, not giving the Hawkeyes a chance. The Cyclones went on an 8-2 run to start the first set, highlighted by three early kills from sophomore Nayeli Gonzalez. The hot start did not stop either, and Iowa State won the first set 25-10.
The second set started a little closer, but a 4-0 run late in the set propelled Iowa State to an 18-13 lead. From there, a block and kill from sophomore Pam McCune gave the Cyclones set point, and a Hawkeye attack error made it 2-0.
Until the third set, the Hawkeyes had not led the match at any point. Iowa was attacking better, limiting mistakes, and playing better volleyball all around. The improved play helped the Hawkeyes steal the third set 25-19.
In the fourth and final set, the Cyclones really stepped back up and went back to playing their brand of volleyball.
“Once we got back to playing Iowa State defense, the crowd got into it,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We just started playing a lot better.”
Iowa State put the Hawkeyes away with four kills from four different Cyclones, winning the final set 25-18.
Morgan Brandt closes in on 2,000 assists
Junior setter Morgan Brandt had her second straight match with 44 assists, which is already her fourth time reaching that mark this season. Brandt effectively set her teammates up for success on the attack in a match where a few mistakes could have swayed or changed the outcome.
Brandt had 582 assists as a freshman, and she nearly doubled that amount in her sophomore season to reach 1158. Now, only 26 sets into the season, she is at 233 assists, a slightly lower per-set rate than last year.
With those numbers, Brandt sits at 1973 career assists heading into the South Dakota Invite. Assuming she sets the play at a similar level that she has been to start the year, Brandt will hit the 2000 mark, a mark that only eleven Cyclones have reached before her.
Rachel Van Gorp is stepping up
Playing anywhere on the court as a true freshman is no easy task, but being the libero puts even more of a target on your back. She even has to wear a different color jersey.
Van Gorp has had eighteen or more digs in four of the Cyclones’ six matches and has excelled in her role following the support from her teammates.
“I remember our first open practice, I was like ‘wow,’ like she’s amazing,” Gonzalez said about Van Gorp. “She’s just been a great leader as a freshman, and we have a lot of trust in her.”
Van Gorp added 18 digs Wednesday night, the most for either team. Brandt spoke about Van Gorp’s ability to get balls that seem out of reach and that she is huge for the Cyclone’s success.
“I would say her and Brooke [Stonestreet] when those two are in the game, it’s pretty hard to get a kill,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Their defense, passing, ball handling, IQ, is so good. We’re lucky to have two high-level back players.”
Cyclones have dominated the last decade of Cy-Hawk volleyball
As far as in-state rivalries go, the Cy-Hawk matchup runs very deep regardless of the sport. Tonight was no different. Although the Iowa State crowd could not top the state of Iowa record attendance, the 5,523 fans made Hilton Coliseum a pretty hostile environment for the Hawkeyes.
“I was really surprised at how many people came; this was my first Cy-Hawk game in Hilton,” Gonzalez said. “I loved the cheering, and it was just a really great atmosphere.”
The win over Iowa marked the third straight win for Iowa State and made it seven of the last ten in favor of the Cyclones.
“I grew up in Iowa, I remember going to school in my Iowa State clothes as a kid,” Brandt said. “It’s just really cool to have the in-state win because we’re a Cyclone state.”
Iowa State is back in action at the South Dakota invite, starting with a 4 p.m. match on Friday against UTEP in Vermillion, South Dakota.
Iowa State now leads the 2024-25 Cy-Hawk count 5-0 following the Cyclone football win. The win also gives the Cyclones a 32-24 series lead all-time in volleyball.
