ISU Volleyball kicked off their spring season traveling to warm and sunny Hawaii.

While they enjoyed the sandy beaches, Pearl Harbor and hiking trails, they also had a game to play. The trip to Hawai’i was great for team bonding, but the four set loss to Hawai’i also helped expose some areas the Cyclones need to improve on.

The biggest thing the Cyclones are focusing on ahead of their matchup against Creighton in Omaha, Neb is blocking.

“[Hawai’i] exposed some things that we want to work on,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “Number one was blocking. Statistically we didn’t block well, so we’ve rededicated ourselves to that and we’re seeing some progress that I like.”

The Cyclones had four total blocks as a team– middle blocker Alexis Conaway led the Cyclones with a combined three blocks and block assists. Creighton features an All-American outside hitter, so the Cyclones block will be tested.

To make matters more challenging for Iowa State middle blocker Samara West will be out for the remainder of the spring season with a torn patellar tendon in her left knee. Johnson-Lynch said West will be back, and fully healthy, by the fall season.

“It’s hard, especially for her,” Conaway said. “But as a team, we can keep getting better on our own. We could take it as a bummer, or we could take it as a challenge and, I think right now, we are taking it as a challenge to accept, and grow better because of it.

“It’ll make all of us step up more now that we don’t have her.”

West led the Cyclones with 82 blocks last season.

Johnson-Lynch said this could be a blessing in disguise for West because the injury will give her whole body a chance to rest.

After two weeks of training following the Hawai’i loss, the Cyclones are itching to get back on the court for a match.

“The last two weeks have been really good training,” said setter Suzanne Horner. “I think we are ready to make a come back after our match against Hawai’i, which, might not have gone exactly how we wanted to. … It’ll be fun to play Saturday.”

Another thing the Cyclones are practicing is hitting a wider variety of different shots.

“Being able to put the ball away even if it’s not a perfect pass, that is one thing that will separate us from other teams,” Conaway said.

Conaway said she has seen flashes of what the Cyclones can be this spring, but they have yet to put it all together from the beginning of a match to the end.