Throughout the duration of Christy Johnson-Lynch’s streak of 11 straight NCAA Championships, many players have been in the spotlight for the Iowa State program.

The careers of Cyclone legends such as Caitlin Nolan, Carly Jenson, Alison Landwehr and a slew of other quality players have come to a conclusion, but Johnson-Lynch has consistently proven the ability to restock her roster.

The current crop of Iowa State stars facing the program features players like junior hitter Jess Schaben and her All-Big 12 Preseason spot, libero Hali Hillegas and blocker Grace Lazard, who’ve both snagged multiple Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards.

Almost every quality team has the big-name players like Schaben, Hillegas and Lazard, but sometimes the difference in a tight match is one of the lesser-known players.

For 2017, the “glue” that keeps Christy Johnson-Lynch’s team together has been redshirt senior right-side hitter Samara West.

“[West is] a key part of our offense,” Johnson-Lynch said. “When she’s hot, when she’s hitting well, she keeps us very unpredictable. The better she plays the more unpredictable we are.”

West has played in Iowa State’s rotation for the past four seasons, but this season she’s played her most prominent role for the Cyclones.

West has had nights where she was unstoppable. Her .471 hitting percentage helped win against then-No.11 Kansas on Oct. 28.

West was a force in the non-conference portion of the schedule too. Her .737 hitting percentage against Pittsburgh allowed Iowa State to grab a win, and it was the third-highest hitting percentage by a Big 12 player this season.

Those high points have been met with low points this season. In Iowa State’s first loss of the season, West hit at a -.074 clip against the University of Northern Iowa.

West, along with almost every other Cyclone, has struggled this season against Baylor. In Iowa State’s two losses to the Bears, West hit an anemic -.125 and .100.

“Down in Baylor, she wasn’t bad, but she didn’t put up the numbers we had seen in some of her recent matches and why that is [is because of] a variety of things,” Johnson-Lynch said. “It wasn’t just Samara [West], it was some of the [ways] we passed the ball.”

The Omaha, Nebraska native has racked up 232 kills this season, eclipsing her previous career-high of 213 kills in her redshirt sophomore season.

West has paired her effectiveness with efficiency, too. In her final season donning the cardinal and gold, West has maintained a .307 hitting percentage and a .294 conference hitting percentage. Her .294 percentage is ranked 10th in the Big 12.

West’s hitting percentage from game to game is where her value has shined the brightest. Generally, when West is efficient, Iowa State wins. Most of the time when West struggles with efficiency, Iowa State loses.

In matches that West manages a .250 hitting percentage or higher, the Cyclones are 15-0. When West finishes a match below the .250 mark, the Cyclones are 1-6.

When West bursts out as the hot hand and contributes 10 or more kills, Iowa State is 11-1.

The key with Iowa State this season is it will often get consistent performances from the setters, Hillegas, Schaben and the blockers, but the Cyclones need a complimentary piece. When West is locked in, she fills that void.

Not only does West provide a spark on offense, the 6-foot-4-inch right-side hitter provides quality defense.

West isn’t the biggest presence in terms of blocking, but she’s still contributed a fair amount of blocks this season. West’s career average for blocks per set currently sits at 0.76.

West has stiffened her blocking this season, averaging 0.84 blocks per set. West usually leaves the digging to Hillegas and Schaben, but she’s chipped in 35 digs, surpassing her single-season high of 28 last season.

Her success on the defensive end helps build confidence on her offensive game.

“I feel like if we get a block, that makes us more aggressive when we swing,” West said.

In West’s four seasons playing inside Hilton Coliseum, she’s accumulated a lot of kills and blocks. This season West has continued to develop into not only a solid player, but an experienced leader.

As freshman middle blocker Avery Rhodes was growing accustomed to Iowa State and Division I-level volleyball, the 6-foot-2-inch blocker received slim playing time.

Rhodes played in only four of the 10 non-conference matches at the beginning of the season. Since then, Rhodes has established herself as a starter for the Cyclones.

In the transition from receiving limited playing time to being an everyday starter, Rhodes received support from a veteran on the team, Samara West.

“Samara has helped me a lot,” Rhodes said. “She’s there for moral support and emotional support. She’s just such a great person to look up to.”

Regardless of whether it’s West’s offense, defense or influence as a teammate, the redshirt senior’s role will trickle into the success of Iowa State’s final stretch of the season.

With only a handful of regular season matches remaining before postseason play, Iowa State’s x-factor might not be one of its stars. Its fate might just rely on the emergence of a lesser-known player such as Samara West.