When outside hitter Victoria Hurtt cleaned out her locker for the final time last spring, ISU head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch knew a key leader would be missing next season.

Being the only senior that graduated after last season, Hurtt had a leadership role on the court and in the locker room that needs to be replaced by the veterans on the team.

“I think the biggest question coming into this season is who’s going into [Victoria] Hurtt’s spot,” Johnson-Lynch said. “That’s probably the question we haven’t figured out because there’s so many talented candidates.”

Hurtt played in 103 sets and averaged 2.66 kills per set with a total of 274 kills last year. She started 21 of the 29 matches the team played during the season and was a key player on the team.

Johnson-Lynch said the team will miss a leader and player like Hurtt, but for this season, she believes it’s going to take a team effort to replace her.

“The interesting thing about our team right now is that we’re picked to finish second in the Big 12 this season, but we have only one player picked for the pre-season Big 12 team,” Johnson-Lynch said. “That’s curious to me, so I think it says that we have a lot of good players that are going to emerge.”

With many players coming back from last season, Johnson-Lynch said she’s looking for the veterans to step up and be leaders in the locker room — players like outside hitters Morgan Kuhrt, Alexis Conaway, Ciara Capezio or libero Caitlin Nolan.

Capezio and Kuhrt are both juniors this year and have said they are ready to take on the leadership role for the team. Kuhrt, whose been been in the program for four years, said she knows what the expectations are for the team.

“I’m just trying to better everyone around me,” Capezio said. “Now that Hurtt is gone, I think it gives every upperclassmen a leadership role.”

Not only does Johnson-Lynch expect the veterans to step up, she also wants the recruiting class to take charge in practice and in the locker room. The recruiting class is ranked eighth in the country and outside hitter Jess Schaben has impressed the coaches this preseason.

Johnson-Lynch said Schaben reminds her of Hurtt and her aggressiveness by the net. She thinks Schaben can potentially take Hurtt’s spot in the lineup and be one of the better outside hitters in the Big 12.

Johnson-Lynch said the team has Capezio, Kuhrt and Natalie Vondrak competing on the left side. Johnson-Lynch wants one or two of those players to emerge and be that go-to player who isn’t afraid to be aggressive.

“I do think this season will depend on those players becoming really comfortable in that Hurtt-like position,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Where it’s give me the ball and let’s go get a bunch of kills and doesn’t stop until that scoreboard has a win for Iowa State.”