With the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Trophy on the line, Iowa State will host rival Iowa with bragging rights up for grabs in the third Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk game between the teams this year.

Iowa and Iowa State will square off on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.

So far this year, the Iowa State women’s soccer team beat Iowa 2-0 and the Iowa football team beat Iowa State 13-3.

Last season, Iowa State was able to come away with a 3-1 victory at Iowa.

“Everyone in the state of Iowa knows the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry,” said Jess Schaben senior outside hitter. “You know they’re going to bring it obviously because they don’t want to lose and we obviously are not wanting to lose.”

Despite the 3-1 score, Iowa kept the game close in every set. In the first set, Iowa State won 25-19, but Iowa took the second 25-23.

In the last two sets, Iowa pushed Iowa State into extra points with scores of 26-24 and 30-28, as Iowa State took both sets.

Of Iowa State’s returning players, now-seniors Schaben and Grace Lazard recorded 17 and 11 kills, respectively.

Sophomore setter Piper Mauck also had 14 assists in limited action.

On defense, Lazard recorded five blocks, and redshirt junior libero Hali Hillegas chipped in 18 digs while Schaben had nine.

“You try to approach [the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk game] like another match; we prep the same way, but it will feel like more than that with all of the hype that goes with that,” Johnson-Lynch said.

This season, Iowa sits at a 5-3 record with losses to Lipscomb 3-2, Washington 3-1 and Colorado 3-1.

Washington is currently ranked No. 13 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25. Colorado was ranked No. 24 last week, but the Buffaloes dropped out of the poll and are receiving votes.

Iowa State is also receiving votes having dropped out of the poll after the first week and has a 1-3 record versus Top 25 opponents.

Iowa State will have several freshman making their debut versus Iowa including outside hitter Brooke Andersen.

“I’m excited I hope we can get a win on them and just play our best and just adjust to whatever lineup we have and just stay focused on the task and beat them,” Andersen said.

Andersen has recorded 36 sets played and has been most felt on defense for Iowa State averaging 2.1 digs a set.

On paper, Iowa and Iowa State are having strikingly similar seasons.

In the attack, Iowa State and Iowa are averaging 13.6 kills with a .239 hitting percentage and 13.5 with a .266 hitting percentage, respectively.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Louis anchors the Hawkeye attack averaging 4.5 kills a set with a .305 hitting percentage. In contrast, Schaben leads Iowa State in total kills and averages 3.39 kills a set with a .202 hitting percentage.

Schaben said she has noticed that Iowa has a good outside this year and expects the Iowa attack to come from there rather than the inside as in previous years. 

Last season, Louis was an Honorable Mention All-Big 10 selection while Schaben was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American for the second time.

Both teams setters are performing at similar levels, as Iowa is averaging 13 assists per set as a team and Iowa State is averaging 12.9 as a team.

Mauck has been averaging 10.3 assists a set while Iowa setter Brie Orr is averaging 9.9 assists a set.

With that being said, coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said she hasn’t decided on a starting setter while freshman Jenna Brandt has been challenging Mauck for the position. Brandt has averaged 6.5 assists a set.

Johnson-Lynch said that she might experiment playing both setters in games.

Defensively, Iowa State averages 2.8 blocks per set and 16.6 digs, while Iowa averages 2.7 blocks and 15.7 digs.

Iowa State will be anchored on defense by Hillegas, who has been named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice this season behind two separate 30-plus dig performances.

Because of the rivalry, Schaben said she expects Hilton to be packed.

Among those people, will be around 100 of Andersen’s family and friends Andersen said.

“My parents went here so it’s always been an Iowa-Iowa State thing for us, so it’s going to be definitely cool to be against Iowa and the rivalry we’ve always had with them,” Andersen said.

If Iowa State beats Iowa, Iowa State will jump ahead in the lead for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Trophy and the Cyclones will inch closer to being back in the AVCA Top 25.