AMES – Iowa State is back on the road out east to take on Colgate at 5 p.m. Thursday in Hamilton, New York.
Colgate has had a bit of a tough start to the year, putting up a 2-7 record, including two straight losses to Villanova and Yale. They are led by outside hitter Abby Shadwick, who has 117 kills at a .270 hitting percentage.
Despite the weak record for the Raiders, Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch doesn’t plan on taking them lightly. With only two matches left before Big 12 Conference play, these tune-up matches are crucial to gauge how Iowa State will fare in such a tough conference.
“I think every match is really important right now, it always is,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We can’t really mess around. We gotta come out ready to go and make sure everybody is ready to play.”
Johnson-Lynch also mentioned that every player on the roster–who is healthy–has seen the floor to start the year, so everyone is prepared when their name is called.
Similar to Johnson-Lynch, sophomore Nayeli Gonzalez is ready for teams to put their best foot forward and give the Cyclones a challenge.
“I think at this point, everyone that plays us plays their best match against us,” Gonzalez said. “Because they know who we are and how we can play.”
Iowa State has won 20 matches each of the past two years and has solidified itself as a contender not only in the Big 12 but nationally.
Although the Cyclones struggled in the South Dakota Classic, Gonzalez said that her team recognized where they were lacking and they know where to improve heading into this week.
“We are trying to be more aggressive with our swings,” Gonzalez said. “Staying together as a whole and talking more.”
Iowa State hit a .225 rate throughout its three matches, which is similar to how they have been hitting all season. However, the errors-per-set rate was higher than the rest of the season.
Johnson-Lynch also pointed out a few areas that she hopes to see improvement in during the trip to New York.
“Still trying to figure some things out,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Our serving and defense to transition was weaker than the past two weekends, so continuing to address that.”
The Cyclones take on Colgate at 5 p.m. Thursday. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
