AMES – Iowa State hosted No. 24 BYU and got handed its third straight loss, losing 3-1 Wednesday night. True freshman Rachel Van Gorp led the way with 11 kills and 14 digs.
The Cyclones entered the match short-handed following the news of sophomore outside hitter Nayeli Gonzalez being out for the year. Sophomore middle blocker Pam McCune and junior outside hitter Maya Duckworth were also sidelined for the second straight match.
The loss gives Iowa State an 8-8 record overall and a 2-3 conference record. In 2023, the Cyclones had a 13-3 record through 16 matches.
Van Gorp started the match Wednesday listed as one of the starting outside hitters despite playing libero and defensive specialist the majority of the year. This was her second straight match playing in a heavy offensive role.
“I know I have to step into a role that I may not be as comfortable with,” Van Gorp said. “But I’m just super proud of my teammates and everyone just encouraging me and pushing me to keep going, and it’s just been really fun and enjoyable.”
Van Gorp started the match with a sense of urgency, contributing anywhere and everywhere she could. She had two kills, two service aces, and three digs in the first set alone. Despite the strong play, BYU took the first set 25-20.
The second set started with a lot of the same. Van Gorp went on a solo 3-0 run with a kill and two more service aces to give Iowa State an early lead. She had four more kills in the second set, and the Cyclones stole the set 25-19.
“We’re battling, we’re playing together as a team,” Van Gorp said. “So just keep battling and pushing together, and we’re right there.”
Van Gorp really was the tone-setter for each set, adding yet another kill and service ace to start the set up 2-0. The third set was a lot of back and forth for the Cyclones, but the Cougars pulled away with a 23-18 lead late in the set.
Iowa State then went on a tear with two aces from junior setter Morgan Brandt, three kills from redshirt junior middle blocker Amiree Hendricks-Walker and a redshirt junior Lilly Wachholz kill to complete a 6-0 run to take a 24-23 lead. BYU then silenced the crowd with a 3-0 run of its own, taking the set 26-24.
“If you look at that third set, I mean, we were right there,” Wachholz said. “We’re so close, just keep playing consistently, keep having fun. Obviously, we are down a few people, but everyone is doing a great job stepping up in their roles.”
The fourth set is where things went south for the Cyclones. Although it was close for around half of the set, BYU dominated all around. Iowa State had it knotted up at 12-12, but the Cougar offense decimated the Cyclones.
BYU ended the match on a 13-3 run, beating Iowa State 25-15 with a service ace. The match Wednesday gave BYU an 11-6 record and a 4-3 conference record.
Despite the loss, Van Gorp showed how she can be utilized like a Swiss army knife. She earned the first double-double of her young college career with 11 kills and 14 digs on Wednesday night. 11 kills and five service aces were also new career highs.
The Cyclones are back in action against Texas Tech at 6:30 Friday in Ames.
