You only get one chance to make a first impression, and Iowa State volleyball gave a positive one on Friday night.

Back at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since spring, the Cyclones defeated the South Dakota Coyotes in an exhibition match, 3-1.

South Dakota, which finished last season with a 17-11 overall record, had a couple of nice stretches against Iowa State throughout the match, but was ultimately overwhelmed by the Cyclones’ athleticism and size.

It was a nice debut for Iowa State, which currently sits at No. 21 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll.

Outside of the second set, Iowa State showed stretches of dominance in every other set throughout the night. However, as is usually the case early in the season, there were plenty of mistakes as well.

Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, entering her 14th season as Iowa State’s head coach, attributed most of these mistakes to “early-season jitters” and the fact that this was the team’s first time playing in a game-like environment. 

“You definitely saw early on, our people especially were pretty nervous,” Johnson-Lynch said. 

This nervousness led to some unforced errors and mental mistakes, particularly in the first two sets. Johnson-Lynch added that the team’s ball-handling, and blocking will need to improve before next week’s opener against Ole Miss.

With that being said, Johnson-Lynch said that there were flashes from the team throughout the match and that she was pleased overall with the performance

Johnson-Lynch added that the opportunity to play an August exhibition game before the season, which Iowa State only started doing last year, is a great way to combat those butterflies and experiment with different lineups.

“It’s a chance to evaluate your players in a game,” Johnson-Lynch said. “It’s way different in practice, and then you get here under the lights and in front of the crowd, it’s a way different feeling.

“Really just to get the jitters out, I think that’s a huge thing.”

Additionally, the exhibition is chance for coaches to evaluate certain position battles. Johnson-Lynch said that nearly every starting spot is up for grabs at this point, and that players still have a chance to separate themselves going forward.

One of the more interesting battles happening is at the team’s setter position, where sophomore Piper Mauck and freshman Jenna Brandt are currently neck-and-neck.

Johnson-Lynch mentioned that both played well on Friday and bring different things to the table, and that there could be an opportunity for both to see the floor depending on the situation.

Mauck mentioned that possibility as well, but says that she believes the team will ultimately lean toward a 5-1 rotation where only one setter sees the floor.

If  that turns out to be the case, Mauck says that the battle will ultimately come down to consistency.

“I really don’t know where it’s going to be,” Mauck said. “It’s just who can put up a great ball every play.”

One player who will likely see the floor quite a bit this season is senior midldle blocker Grace Lazard, who had perhaps the best performance of any Cyclone on Friday.

Lazard led the way with 14 kills and finished with .429 hitting percentage, overpowering the Coyotes with her height and power throughout the night.

Lazard’s big night coincided with standout performances from the team’s other two seniors, Jess Schaben and Hannah Bailey, who finished with eight and seven kills, respectively.

Although a senior, Lazard said that even she was feeling some of those jitters that Johnson-Lynch mentioned and that she needed to improve certain aspects of her game going forward. Specifically, Lazard echoed Johnson-Lynch in saying that she needed to improve her blocking.

Also like Johnson-Lynch, Lazard agreed that the exhibition game was a good way to shake off the rust before the real action starts.

“Playing at Hilton is always a different type of environment that you don’t get to play in all the time,” Lazard said. “Just being able to focus and letting those nerves come out during the gameplay is always important.”