A big haul

The ISU volleyball team received National Letters of Intent from five recruits last week, all of whom will collectively bring a variety of skill sets when the 2015-16 campaign gets rolling next fall.

Libero and defensive specialist Abigail Phillips, right-side hitter Hannah Bailey, middle blocker Grace Lazard, setter Hali Hillegas and setter Remi Bowman make up next season’s freshman class and all are so variant in their positions that they nearly make an entire lineup.

ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said this particular class stands out to her because of the players’ level of experience and success in the sport.

“I think in the past we’ve had probably a lot of great athletes, some under-the-radar type kids that maybe weren’t real polished yet,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’ve got a few kids coming in next year that are very high-level volleyball players, [have] played a lot of volleyball. They’re going to come in already pretty knowledgeable about the game.”

Over the course of Johnson-Lynch’s ten seasons in Ames, the Cyclones have been inching closer and closer to the proverbial glass ceiling that separates the top five to 10 teams in the nation from the rest.

It’s a lofty plateau that Johnson-Lynch has had her sights set on for some time now, and this class may be key to reaching it.

“I think they can certainly help us achieve those goals,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I think taking a class like that and adding it into a team that returns almost everyone, that to me is really, really exciting.”

Heading across the pond

Incoming freshman Grace Lazard, a London native, will be the first international recruit Johnson-Lynch has ever had.

Lazard has made a name for herself playing on England’s Junior National Team as well as its sand volleyball Senior National Team. Being able to successfully recruit such an accomplished young player has marked a milestone for the ISU volleyball program.

“It’s huge. It really is huge for our program,” Johnson-Lynch said with a laugh that suggested it was almost too good to be true. “A lot of people say, ‘Well why don’t you just go get an international player?’ as if it’s easy. It’s very, very difficult to get a great player from overseas.”

Johnson-Lynch noted that many international prospects have never even heard of Iowa State, making it a challenge to sometimes even get a foot in the door. Through months of jumping through hoops and perseverance, the Cyclones were finally able to make it happen.

“Man, it’s been a lot of work from our compliance [department] and between [Lazard] and [recruiting coordinator] Jon Newman,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Some schools just kind of drop out because they feel like it’s not going to happen, it’s not worth the time. It’s really hard to get a great player from overseas and to finally get one of [Lazard’s] level is huge for our program.”