Cyclones Set For Blue Raider Bash

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State hits the road for the second straight week to open the season, traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for the Blue Raider Bash Friday and Saturday. The Cyclones will face 15th-ranked Middle Tennessee on Friday followed by contests against Appalachian State and Florida International Saturday.

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Notes

Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 5
Iowa State at Middle Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 6
Iowa State vs. Appalachian State, Noon
Iowa State vs. Florida International 5 p.m.

Tournament Information: For the latest scores and information on the Blue Raider Bash please visit goblueraiders.com.
Live Stats: Live stats for all matches will be available via goblueraiders.com at Cyclones.com.

Cyclone Notebook
? Iowa State dropped the first set to Creighton Tuesday night but rallied to win the next three and defeat the Bluejays in Omaha, Neb.
? Tuesday's win was the 600th in the history of the program, which started in 1973.
? Jen Malcom had a night for the record books, shattering the school record with a .789 hitting percentage. The senior had 15 kills with no errors on 19 attacks. She also had a solo block, five block assists and a service ace.
? Kaylee Manns dished out 42 assists and became the second player in school history to top 3,000 career assists. She also had 14 digs to record her fourth double-double in as many matches.
? Sophomore libero Ashley Mass had 17 digs to post her 30th straight match with 10+ digs. The streak dates back to her first career start at libero against LSU in 2007.
? Victoria Henson had a team-high 16 kills against the Bluejays. She has been in double-figures in three of four contests this season.
? Iowa State is 3-2 in its last five matches against ranked teams. Middle Tennessee is 15th in the country in this week's poll.
? Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson is looking for her 60th career win. Johnson will be coaching her 101st match when ISU opens the tournament against Middle Tennessee Friday night. The quickest any coach has gotten win No. 60 was Vicki Mealer in 110 matches.
? After the big night against the Bluejays, Malcom is hitting .534 (51k-4e-88a), which ranks second in the Big 12. Malcom also ranks eighth in the league in points with 4.19 per set.
? Manns currently sits second in the league with 10.88 assists, just behind Nebraska's Sydney Anderson (11.00).
? ISU and Oklahoma are the only team with two players in the top-10 for digs per set. Mass is third at 4.69 while Manns is 10th with 3.69. Manns is the only setter in the top-10.
? In 2007, ISU was just 6-13 when losing the first set of the match. This season, the Cyclones are 2-1 after dropping the first frame.
? Iowa State is the clear-cut leader in block assists in the league. Despite ranking just fourth in overall blocks per set, ISU has 81 block assists with Missouri second at 56.
? Henson has 59 kills in the first four matches after having just 37 in last year's first four contests. More impressive is the fact that after hitting .068 to open last season, Henson is hitting at a .212 clip.
? As a team, ISU is hitting .223 after hitting .142 last year in the first four matches.

Scouting Middle Tennessee
? 15th-ranked Middle Tennessee is 3-0 on the season after defeating Idaho, South Dakota State and Southeast Missouri last weekend at home. The Blue Raiders have won 13 straight at home. Like Iowa State, Middle Tennessee advanced to the round of 16 last year.
? The Blue Raiders hit .268 as a team last weekend, led by honorable mention All-American middle blocker Ashley Asberry, who is hitting .450 on 60 swings. Outside hitter Ashley Mead leads the way with 3.27 kills per set. Defensively, Ashley Waugh averages 4.82 digs while Asberry tops the Blue Raiders at the net with 1.27 blocks.
? Asberry and Mead have been in double-digits in each of the first three matches.
? Middle Tennessee is coached by Matt Peck, who boasts a 65-29 record in his fourth season.
? Last season's 3-1 win by Middle Tennessee is the only meeting between the schools.

Last Time They Met
? Playing without starting setter Kaylee Manns, Iowa State struggled offensively and hit just .049 in a 3-1 loss to Middle Tennessee in the 2007 season opener at Hilton Coliseum.
? Mead led the Blue Raiders with 19 kills while three players reached double-digit digs, led by Ashley Adams' 14. Middle Tennessee out dug the Cyclones 56-42.
? ISU out blocked Middle Tennessee 20-14.5 in the blockfest. Victoria Henson led the Cyclones with 10 kills while Jen Malcom posted a then-career high 10 block assists.

Scouting Appalachian State
? Appalachian State, a member of the Southern Conference, comes into the weekend 0-3 after falling to Eastern Michigan, Maryland-Baltimore County and William and Mary on opening weekend.
? The Mountaineers hit just .131 as a team and had 35 service errors compared to just 11 service aces. At the net, ASU averaged just 1.45 blocks and allowed opponents to hit .227.
? Middle blocker Carla Durham leads the offense with 3.36 kills per set. The offensive attack is set by duo of setters in senior Charissa Clearman (7.50 assists per set) and freshman Kasey Sauls (8.33 assists).
? Matt Ginipro is in his second season as head coach at Appalachian State. The Mountaineers went 19-14 overall and he earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors.
? This is the first meeting between the schools.

Scouting Florida International
? Florida International is 4-0 on the young season, picking up wins over Charleston Southern, Syracuse and then-nationally ranked Clemson at the Big Orange Bash. The Golden Panthers then beat Furman on Monday in four sets.
? The Golden Panthers of Florida International are truly international, boasting eight players from seven countries outside the United States.
? The Golden Panthers are hitting .244 and averaging 2.00 blocks per set.
? Yarimar Rosa was named Sun Belt Conference player of the week after ripping 54 kills and digging 39 balls last weekend. On the season, Rosa is averaging an impressive 5.57 kills per set while hitting .293 from her outside hitter post.
? Florida International is coached by Danijela Tomic, who is in her fourth season as head coach at the school.
? Iowa State holds a 3-0-1 edge in the all-time series. This is the first meeting between the schools since 1982.

600 Wins
? Iowa State's win over Creighton was the 600th in the history of the program, which was started in 1973.

Players Mentioned

Victoria Henson

Victoria Henson

Jen Malcom

Jen Malcom

Kaylee Manns

Kaylee Manns

Ashley Mass

Ashley Mass

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