AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State volleyball team will wrap up regular season play with a Saturday matinee against Colorado. Saturday's match will also be the final home contest for seniors Katie Churm, Katie Jessen, Jessica Klein and Nicole Lorenzen. The four seniors will be honored in a ceremony following the conclusion of the match, which is slated to begin at 2 p.m.
With a win, the Cyclones will move into a tie for fourth place with Colorado. They are ensured of finishing no worse than tied for fifth in the Big 12.
Who: Colorado (16-10, 12-7 Big 12) at Iowa State (19-10, 11-8 Big 12)
Where: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa)
When: Saturday at 2 p.m.
Live Video: Live streaming video will be available for FREE. Fans can access the live stream by clicking here.
Live Stats: Live stats will also be available at Cyclones.com by clicking on the live stats link on the schedule at the bottom of the homepage or by clicking here.
Promotions: Celebrate senior day with the Cyclones. Meet the team after the match in a post-match autograph session.
Scouting Colorado
Colorado comes to Ames on a roll, winners of four of six, including a 3-2 thriller over Baylor on Wednesday night. CU is led by one of the top setters in the league, preseason all-Big 12 selection Ashley Nu'u. Nu'u ranks fifth in the league in assists per game at 12.48. Junior Amber Sutherlund averages 4.29 kills per game and Austin Zimmerman hits at an impressive .340 clip.
While the offense has been solid for CU, defense has been its shortcoming this season. The Buffaloes are 10th in the league in blocks (2.27) and digs (14.70).
All-Time Series
Colorado leads 33-11, including 13-8 in Ames. The Cyclones are 2-1 against the Buffs under Christy Johnson.
Iowa State 3, Colorado 0 - Oct. 11
Katie Jessen became just the sixth player in Iowa State history to surpass 1,000 career kills as Iowa State stunned Colorado, 3-0 (30-20, 30-25, 30-27), in Boulder for the first time since 1987.
Jessen paced the Cyclones with 14 kills and Nicole Lorenzen and Lauren Cummings chipped in 12 and 10, respectively. Katie Churm had a team-high 11 digs in the sweep.
Last Time Out
Iowa State dropped a heartbreaker to No. 13 Oklahoma, 3-2 (16-30, 30-28, 30-25, 21-30, 5-15), on Tuesday night in Norman. Katie Jessen had a team-high 18 kills, marking the 13th straight match in which she has had 12 or more kills. Defensively, Nicole Lorenzen had 13 digs and Katie Churm added 12. The Cyclones were out blocked 15 to four in the match.
Records Don't Last Forever, Some Not Even A Year
In 2005, Iowa State took the Big 12 by storm, winning a school-record nine conference matches. That broke the previous record of four, which was set in 2003. In less than a year, Iowa State has already re-written the record books with its 10th conference win of the season against Texas A&M and 11th against Texas Tech. The Cyclones hope to keep building on the record with one conference match remaining.
Senior Day
Iowa State honors its four seniors (Katie Churm, Katie Jessen, Jessica Klein and Nicole Lorenzen) on Saturday. The ceremony, which will include a video tribute, will be held following the match.
Selection Sunday
The NCAA will announce its 64-team bracket on Sunday at 2 p.m. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPNews. Mediacom Connections (channel 22 in central Iowa) will broadcast the event.
Crowd Support
Iowa State has had two of the three largest crowds in school-history when it played Nebraska (11/8) in front of 2,500 and Northern Iowa (8/30) in front of 2,225. ISU also had 1,474 spectators for its match against Kansas (11/4) and 1,165 against Texas Tech (11/15).
Did You Know?
- No 11-9 Big 12 team has ever been left out of the NCAA Tournament. At worst, Iowa State will finish 11-9 in conference play. With a win, the Cyclones will be 12-8.
- Katie Churm became just the third player in school history to record 400+ digs in back-to-back seasons.
- Kaylee Manns' 78 assist performance against Texas Tech is tied for the highest in the Big 12 this season. Texas' Michelle Moriarty had 78 assists against Penn State earlier this season.
- Erin Boeve is just three block assists shy of breaking the school record for a career. Vicki Seliger (1989-92) is the current record holder with 354.
- Jessica Klein ranks 10th all-time at ISU with 222 block assists in her career.
- Manns, a freshman, already ranks ninth all-time at ISU with 1,300 career assists. She is also just 54 assists shy of the single-season school record
- Katie Jessen has had at least 12 kills in 13 straight matches.
- The Cyclones defeated Colorado in Boulder earlier this year for the first time since 1987.
- This year's senior class is 55-65 in their four years at Iowa State. But in the past two seasons they are 35-25, the most successful run in the school's Big 12 history.