The Lowdown

The ISU volleyball team (7-5, 0-2 Big 12) fell in straight sets to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (10-0, 2-0 Big 12) Oct. 1 at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.

The Cyclones came out tough in the first set, trading blows with the Longhorns all the way to an early 9-8 lead and eventually a tie at 23-all. Iowa State was unable to steal the set from Texas, as two-time First Team All-American Haley Eckerman powered down back-to-back kills to close out the set and give Texas the 1-0 edge.

The Longhorns really began to show their might in the second frame, claiming the first five points of the set to jump ahead early. Texas never led by less than five the rest of the way, as it went on to take the set comfortably, 25-15.

Set three stayed closer for longer, as Iowa State stayed within striking distance until the low-teens, when Texas pulled away for another 25-15 set win and a sweep of Iowa State.

X-Factor

Haley Eckerman: The Waterloo, Iowa, native put on an offensive clinic for the Longhorns, hitting home 14 kills on 25 attempts without registering an error. Eckerman was once recruited by Iowa State, and made her official visit when Texas came to town.

By the Numbers

.350: Texas hit .350 on the match, a strong showing by anyone’s standards. Iowa State was only able to muster a hitting percentage of .200.

7-2: The Longhorns tallied seven blocks, compared to the Cyclones’ two. Head ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch often stresses the importance of blocking, but her team struggled against Texas’ strong front line.

28: Iowa State was plagued by errors, committing 28 of them on the match. 15 of those errors came on ISU attacks, which contributed to the low hitting percentage.

1, 2 and 5: With the loss to Texas, Iowa State has now fallen to current No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Florida State, all in straight sets.

Up Next

The Cyclones return home after playing 6-of-7 matches on the road to host the West Virginia Mountaineers at 1 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Hilton Coliseum.