AMES – After dropping three straight matches, the Cyclones look to bounce back at home against Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Iowa State’s most recent loss came at home against No. 24 BYU in a 3-1 bout. The loss dropped the Cyclones’ record to 8-8 and a 2-3 Big 12 record.
Despite losing their past three matches, the Cyclones have had some bright spots. True freshman Rachel Van Gorp has stood out in the past two matches, showing her versatility and growth throughout the first half of the season.
Van Gorp had her best match in terms of contributing to many different aspects of the game. She had 11 kills, 14 digs, five aces and two assists against the Cougars. Redshirt sophomore Lilly Wachholz and redshirt junior Amiree Hendricks-Walker were also big offensive contributors, each adding 12 kills.
Before the three straight conference losses, the Cyclones won their first two Big 12 matches. They beat West Virginia in five sets and took down Cincinnati in four sets. Hendricks-Walker and Wachholz led Iowa State in kills in the West Virginia win.
In each of those matches, Iowa State had at least 11 players see the floor in some capacity. In Wednesday’s match against BYU, the Cyclones had 10 players who played in all four sets.
Depth is something that Iowa State has leaned on a lot to keep everyone’s legs fresh.
“I think we just look at it like an opportunity,” Wachholz said. “I think just us stepping up, we all know we can do it, we’re all here for a reason. Just taking the challenge and not backing away from it, trust each other because we know we can do it.”
With a little unknown for who will be available night in and night out, Iowa State will have to dig deep and rely on its conditioning in order to finish matches strong.
As for the Red Raiders, they have had a bit of a similar start to the year as the Cyclones. They are 9-9 but have struggled in conference play with a 1-5 record. Texas Tech has lost three straight, including two sweeps from TCU and No. 13 Arizona State.
Graduate transfer Mia Wesley has been a bright spot for Texas Tech, with 230 kills at 3.54 per set. Defensively, senior libero Maddie Correa has 276 digs for the Red Raiders at 4.18 per set, which is fifth in the Big 12.
In order for Iowa State to turn around its play as of late against the Red Raiders on Friday, it will need to rely on the powerful arm of Wachholz and limit errors from strong defensive play from Van Gorp, senior libero Brooke Stonestreet and redshirt junior defensive specialist Paula Krzeslak.
The Cyclones take on the Red Raiders at home at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
