AMES – In the midst of a three-game losing streak and multiple injuries, the Cyclones needed grit and they got it in a big way. They did not back down and dominated the Red Raiders in a clean sweep Friday [25-11, 25-20, 25-18].
Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch knew how important it was to take this one from Texas Tech given how the last few games have gone.
“It’s great for morale and great to see the play,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Our team played at a high level of consistency from top to bottom the whole match. Obviously we have been dealing with a lot of adversity and just trying a lot of different things.”
A 12-0 run in set one gave the Cyclones all the confidence to shut down Texas Tech. Junior Faith DeRonde knew how crucial it was to take advantage of the early lead.
“It gives you a little leeway. You can kind of mix up the plays,” DeRonde said. “We could run a lot of combos and work on things we need to work on.”
Set two was a much closer set but Iowa State prevailed on a kill from redshirt sophomore Lilly Wachholz. Redshirt sophomore Kiersten Schmitt and freshman Rachel Van Gorp led the team with four kills in the set.
Iowa State has had trouble finishing matches with 2-0 set leads. Tonight was different, and keeping emotions in check may have been the key.
“I thought they did a really good job of not getting too high or too low. They just stayed pretty steady,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’re up 2-0, can we come out that third set with as much urgency as we had the first two sets.”
Redshirt junior Amiree Hendricks-Walker could feel the crowd igniting the Cyclones to help them break through in set three.
“I just was so pumped,” Hendricks-Walker said. “With how we were playing, the energy was consistent. It never dropped on the court. Everyone from our bench, everyone from our audience was giving us so much energy.”
Hendricks-Walker delivered with six kills in set three. Iowa State managed to pull away with four straight points. Kills from Wachholz and Schmitt, plus an ace from freshman Emily Bobbitt secured the set for the Cyclones.
“I think we played at a really high level tonight. This is probably the best we’ve played in a long while,” Johnson-Lynch said.
Van Gorp, Hendricks-Walker and DeRonde all led Iowa State in kills with 10. Hendricks-Walker was efficient too, at a .667 hitting percentage. Senior Brooke Stonestreet had 16 digs on the defensive end and Bobbitt had 18 assists to set up the hitters.
“This team has been awesome,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Their attitudes, their composure, their resilience and they just keep chipping away.”
