ISU Loses to Baylor in Four

Saturday, November 6

Waco, Texas

TBA

Iowa State

Baylor

11.06.2004 | Volleyball

By: Iowa State University

WACO, Texas - The Cyclone volleyball squad dropped a 3-1 decision in Big 12 play tonight to Baylor in Waco. ISU won game two, 30-19, but lost games one and three by game scores of 30-20, and game four by a 30-28 tally. Iowa State drops to 8-16 overall and 1-14 in league play, while Baylor improves to 12-14 overall and 4-11 in conference action.

"We had a few great runs tonight, especially in games two and at the end of game four," said Iowa State head coach Linda Crum. "But we just couldn't close the deal when we needed to."

Baylor was the better team offensively this evening, as the Bears recorded 13 more kills and 14 more assists than the Cyclones. BU out hit ISU, .190 to .134, and notched five more blocks on the evening. The Cyclones were hampered by 11 service errors from behind the service line.

"We served fairly effectively overall," said Crum. "But we had too many errors at key points and at critical times in games that really hurt us."

Iowa State was led offensively by sophomore Katie Jessen. Jessen, a Kansas City, Mo., native, slammed 15 kills on 50 attempts for ISU. Jessen, who pounded a team season-high 21 kills in a loss to Kansas State on Wednesday night, finished the week with 36 kills for Iowa State, and leads the team in that category for the season. It was the seventh time this season that Jessen has led the team in kills in a match and was also the seventh time Jessen has recorded 15 or more kills in a match this season.

Also playing well at the outside hitter position was redshirt sophomore Nicole Lorenzen. Lorenzen, from Fremont, Iowa, notched 13 kills for the Cyclones. She added 10 digs defensively for ISU and recorded her eighth double-double of the season in tonight's match.

Brittany Dalager, a senior from Minneota, Minn., led the Cyclones in digs for the second time in as many matches. In her second start of the season at the libero position, Dalager dug out 18 balls for ISU. It marked the eighth time this season that Dalager has led Iowa State in digs for a match.

Iowa State's trio of middle blockers performed admirably in the match, as junior Ashlie McWee and true freshmen Meghan Ferrie and Erin Boeve combined for 17 kills and 5.5 blocks on the night. Boeve recorded three solo blocks, tying a season and career high for the Steen, Minn., native.

The Cyclones return home next week to face the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday, Nov. 10. The match will be played at Hilton Coliseum and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.