The Cyclones close out their season with two ranked opponents at home this week with No. 19 Utah on Wednesday and No. 11 Kansas on Friday.
Following a recent trip to Arizona, where Iowa State went 0-2 against the Sun Devils and the Wildcats, the Cyclones hope to bounce back at home. Junior middle blocker Tierney Jackson was the lone Cyclone in double-digit kills against Arizona State with 10, and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Lilly Wachholz and junior outside hitter Faith DeRonde each had 12 kills against Arizona.
Iowa State is 10-16 overall and has not had it easy in conference play, going 4-11. With two tough matches to finish the year, the Cyclones have a lot on their plate, and we’re not talking about their Thanksgiving plate.
The first test will be against the No. 19 Utes, who have five losses all year and have won their last six matches, four of which have been sweeps. All of Utah’s losses have been to ranked opponents, including two to the Sun Devils who had the Utes number both times they played.
Utah is led by sophomore outside hitter Kamryn Gibadlo, who has 336 kills on the year, averaging 4.02 per set. Gibadlo has been a consistent offensive piece for the Utes all year, and slowing her down will be important for the Cyclones. Senior libero Brooke Stonestreet and freshman libero/outside hitter Rachel Van Gorp will have their hands full keeping points alive from the strong Utah offense.
Defensively, junior middle blocker Emrie Satuala has collected the fourth most blocks in the Big 12 this year with 105. As a team, Utah averages 2.35 blocks per set, compared to only 1.84 for the Cyclones.
Iowa State then takes on No. 11 Kansas, a familiar opponent, on Friday. The Cyclones lost 3-1 when they took on the Jayhawks on Oct. 23 in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks have dropped two spots in the rankings since the first matchup, as it lost to both Arizona schools during its road trip.
In the first matchup, senior outside hitter Ayah Elnady was the most successful offensively for the Jayhawks with 16 kills. She is three shy of 300 kills on the year, and three other Jayhawks have collected over 200 kills. What makes this mark even more impressive is the fact that Kansas has played 15 fewer sets than Iowa State.
The Jayhawks allow nearly two blocks per set for their opponents, and it is an area the Cyclones will look to exploit. The block line is an area of play that Iowa State has been working on all year and could be the difference maker in throwing the strong Kansas offense off its game.
For Iowa State, limiting errors and finding success at net blocking will be two things it needs to be successful in to have a chance in either of its matches. In many matches, there is a correlation between errors and whether the Cyclones won or lost, so that will be a key for a struggling Iowa State team.
Iowa State looks to finish its season strong with two opportunities at home against No. 19 Utah on Wednesday and No. 11 Kansas on Friday. Both matches are at 5 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
