Iowa State has won four of its last five matches, three of which against ranked opponents, with a late-season surge from redshirt senior middle blocker Amiree Hendricks-Walker.
Ever since her season low hitting percentage against Baylor on Oct. 29, Hendricks-Walker has seen a continuous climb in hitting percentage in the last four matches.
In the Cyclones’ most recent match against No. 16 TCU, Hendricks-Walker was .500 on the court, tying her second-best hitting percentage this season. However, she did so with no kill errors while also playing in every set. The only other time she did so this season was against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 19, when she hit .643 on the court.
“It’s awesome,” Hendricks-Walker said. “That’s an awesome statistic to have, and I’m just super happy that I’m getting my flame back.”
The comeback from Hendricks-Walker’s mid-season injury was a process that required time to fix, but the results are showing on the court.
“I was disappointed initially after coming back from an injury mid-season,” Hendricks-Walker said. “It’s very inconvenient, and it just wasn’t working at first. I didn’t feel like I was producing the way I wanted to, so I’m really happy that I’m able to come back, produce for my team and contribute towards where we’re at now.”
In her last four matches, Hendricks-Walker has averaged 8.25 kills per match and 2.06 per set. On the defensive side, she’s had 16 block assists in the last four matches, averaging one per set. She also recorded her second solo block of the season in the Cyclones’ victory against TCU, with the only other one coming on the road in their Cy-Hawk victory against Iowa.
“I’d say things are just clicking,” Hendricks-Walker said. “I was out a little bit [of the season] from an injury. That set me back, and I was really frustrated, but I just decided to be patient. I worked with my setters, I worked on just getting extra reps and getting used to that feeling again of being on the court.”
Against the Horned Frogs, Hendricks-Walker also recorded a season-high three digs, the second-most she’s had in a match in her time at Iowa State. Hendricks-Walker also had no kill or block errors in the entire match.
“She’s playing great,” Head Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “Especially for a person that had an injury mid-season and was out for a stretch. She’s doing great things.”
Johnson-Lynch believes that this is the best she’s seen out of Hendricks-Walker in her collegiate era.
“I think she’s playing the best of her career,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Her arm is lethal; you have to always pay attention to her, and I’m just happy for her.”
Hendricks-Walker’s late-season surge will be vital to Iowa State’s last four matches of the regular season, as they continue the push to potentially host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament for four teams.
“I’m stoked,” Hendricks-Walker said. “This is the end [of the regular season], and we’ve been having a great season so far. The energy on the court is electric. I’m just super excited to be able to be a part of that.”
Iowa State’s next two matches are part of a three-day road trip, where they’ll play Cincinnati at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, followed by West Virginia at 5 p.m. Friday. Both teams are a combined 6-19 in conference play.
