Cyclones Sweep Oklahoma, 3-0, On Senior Day

Saturday, November 28

Ames, Iowa

6:30 PM

Iowa State

Oklahoma

Cyclones Sweep Oklahoma, 3-0, On Senior Day

11.28.2009 | Volleyball

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa ? Seventh-ranked Iowa State used 12 kills from Victoria Henson and 11 from Rachel Hockaday to sweep Oklahoma, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-17), Saturday night at Hilton Coliseum, clinch sole possession of second place in the Big 12. The second-place finish is the highest league finish in school history.

ISU (25-4, 17-3) also sets a school record for wins in a season during the NCAA era with its 25th of the season.

“Second-place in the Big 12 is really exciting,” ISU head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “There have been a lot of exciting things this season, but I think finishing second in the Big 12 tells you that we were able to sustain it over the season. It wasn't just one great night. It's been being ready to play great teams night after night. I think that says more about our team than any one big win.

"Four or five years ago, I would have not believed anybody if they told me we'd be finishing second in the Big 12. One of my personal goals this year was for us to finish in the top two. I knew we'd have to be pretty awesome to do that. We were ready to go every night. I'm proud of their ability to be consistent all season."

Henson and Hockaday helped ISU overcome a sluggish start to hit .259 in the match. The middle blocking duo of Debbie Stadick and Jamie Straube had six kills each and were errorless on 31 swings.

Johnson-Lynch praised Stadick and Straube for stepping up when their number was called.

“Traditionally, we depend so much on Hockaday and Henson so we want to make sure that when teams are committing to those two we have Stadick and Straube ready to get some kills. They both did a great job of that because they are great athletes and players. They are still young and still learning, but as this season has gone on, I think we've seen them improve a lot."

Senior setter Kaylee Manns celebrated her final regular season home match with her 65th double-double, finishing with 36 assists and a match-high 17 digs. Ashley Mass was second on the team with 12 digs and Henson added eight to go along with two aces and her 12 kills.

Both teams struggled offensively in the opening frame with the Cyclone defense holding Oklahoma to a -.031 hitting percentage. ISU hit just .167 in the set and was led by Hockaday's five kills. The Cyclones led just 20-19 following a hitting error by Henson, but the junior responded out of the timeout with a kill and Hockaday then smashed home another as ISU extended its lead to 22-19. In all, ISU closed on a 5-0 run to win 25-19.

In the second set, ISU used a 7-0 run behind the serve of Mass to break open a close set and gain control. OU tied it at 10-10 on a kill from Caitlin Higgins, but a service error opened up the big run as Mass stepped back to lead the run. The Cyclones went on to win the set 25-20 and head into the locker room up 2-0.

The Cyclones blistered the ball at a .395 clip and went on to win 25-17 to win their 17th Big 12 match of the season. The score was 11-10 in favor of the Cyclones, but Henson started a 6-1 run with a kill as ISU went on top 17-11. The Sooners closed to within four at 18-14 on a nifty kill from OU setter Brianne Barker, but Kelsey Petersen halted the run with her eighth kill. ISU finished the match with a kill by senior Diane Kieger that was assisted by Manns to pick up its 18th sweep this season.

Iowa State closes the regular season 11-1 at home and has won 22-of-its-last-26 matches at Hilton Coliseum.

Oklahoma (18-11, 11-9) was led by Suzy Boulavsky's 10 kills and Higgins' 16 digs. The Sooners finish the regular season tied for fourth in the Big 12 with Baylor and Texas A&M.

The Cyclones await their postseason destination, which will be announced Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPNews. Fans are welcome to join the team at West Cyde Wings for a selection show party.