Cyclones Beat Northern Arizona For First Win

TEMPE, Ariz. ? Lauren Cummings tallied 17 kills and Victoria Henson added a career-high 16 as Iowa State defeated Northern Arizona, 3-1 (30-20, 30-14, 26-30, 30-23) in the first match of the Hilton Phoenix/Mesa Challenge on Friday morning in Tempe, Ariz.

The Cyclones (1-2) hit a season-high .278 while holding Northern Arizona (2-2) to a .097 percentage. The Lumberjacks did out block the Cyclones, nine to eight, but were hampered by 17 service errors in the match.

Joining Cummings and Henson in double figures was Erin Boeve, who blistered the ball for 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Cummings, a senior from Ankeny, Iowa, hit .464 in the match. Freshman Cassie Pratt effectively guided the Cyclone offense with a career-high 49 assists.

Laura Cady led Iowa State defensively, posting 13 digs in the win. Cady has now had 10 or more digs in the last seven matches dating back to last season.

Kim Babcock had 16 kills and Brittany Stowers had 11 digs to pace Northern Arizona.

Iowa State used a 19-4 run midway through the first game to take game one 30-20 and go ahead 1-0 for the first time in three matches this season. The Cyclones, who hit .267, trailed 16-11 before going on a 9-1 run to lead 20-17 following a kill from Diane Kieger on an overpass. ISU closed the game on a 10-3 run to capture the game.

The Cyclones kept rolling in game two, hitting .483 en route to an impressive 30-14 win. Iowa State took control early in the match, scoring eight of the first 10 to cruise and go up 2-0 in the game.

After falling behind briefly in the third game, 3-1, Iowa State went on a 7-0 run to get control of the match. Just when it looked like the Cyclones would cruise to a sweep, Northern Arizona made a charge. The Lumberjacks trailed 20-13 but scored nine straight to go on top 22-20. UNA would hold on to get the 30-26 win and force a fourth game.

The Cyclones controlled much of the fourth game, taking a 30-23 win for their first of the season. ISU trailed briefly at 4-3 but scored seven of the next eight points and held off the Lumberjacks the rest of the way.

Iowa State will be back in action this afternoon at approximately 4 p.m. (CT), when it faces New Mexico (4-0) in more tournament action. Live stats will be available at Cyclones.com.

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Players Mentioned

Erin Boeve

Erin Boeve

Laura Cady

Laura Cady

Lauren Cummings

Lauren Cummings

Victoria Henson

Victoria Henson

Diane Kieger

Diane Kieger

Cassie Pratt

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