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Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclones Set To Face Nebraska For Third Time
12.08.2009 | Volleyball
AMES, Iowa - The seventh-seeded and fifth-ranked Iowa State volleyball team makes its third-straight NCAA Regional appearance this weekend when it faces 10th-seeded Nebraska at the Omaha Regional Friday night. First serve between the Cyclones and Huskers from the Qwest Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Who: Iowa State (27-4) vs. Nebraska (25-6)
When: Friday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m.
Where: Omaha, Neb./Qwest Center (17,200)
Live stats: Available at ncaasports.com.
Live video: TBA
Television: TBA
Cyclone Notebook
? Iowa State returns to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in as many years this weekend when it travels to the Omaha Regional to face Nebraska Friday at the Qwest Center at 7 p.m.
? ISU, the seventh-seed in the tournament, advanced with sweeps of George Mason and Wichita State at Hilton Coliseum.
? Iowa State is 9-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Under fifth-year head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, ISU is 8-3 in the tournament.
? ISU is ranked No. 5 in the latest AVCA poll, its 15th-straight week in the top-25 and sixth-straight in the top-10. The No. 5 ranking is the best in school history. A new poll will not be released until after the NCAA Championships.
? ISU set a school record for wins (27) during the NCAA era this season. ISU's 17 Big 12 wins was also the most in school history.
? The Cyclones have won 20+ matches for the third time under Johnson-Lynch, who is in her fifth year as head coach. ISU has won 20 matches nine different times since 1982.
? The Cyclones have swept 20 matches in 2009, the most by any ISU team in the NCAA era.
? Iowa State has won 18-of-its-last-19 matches, with the only loss coming to Nebraska. ISU hasn't dropped a set (21-0) since losing to the Huskers. The 21-straight sets won is a new school record.
? The Cyclones and Huskers split during the regular season, with both teams winning on the others home floor. This marks the first time since 1995 and 11th time overall that the conference foes have met three times in one season. ISU has never won the season series.
? Victoria Henson has led the Cyclones in kills 21 times this season. ISU is 18-3 in those matches.
? Ashley Mass is second all-time at ISU with 1,751 career digs. The junior is just 153 shy of the school record. Steph McCannon (1992-95) holds the current mark with 1,904.
? Mass owns the school record with 31 career 20-dig matches. She has posted 20+ digs nine times this season.
? Debbie Stadick has been in double-figures seven times this season after doing it just twice during her freshman campaign.
? Kaylee Manns has moved into fourth on the Big 12's all-time list for assists. The senior has 5,602 assists and is 217 assists shy of third place (Michelle Moriarty, UT).
? Manns leads all active Big 12 players with 67 career double-doubles.
? ISU is hitting .241 this season after hitting for a school-record .234 in 2008.
Last Time Out
? Iowa State hit .262 and held Wichita State to a .112 hitting percentage as the Cyclones earned the sweep in the second round match.
? ISU was led by Henson's double-double of 15 kills and 10 digs. Hockaday (12 kills-15 digs) and Manns (37 assists-14 digs) also had double-doubles. Mass led with 18 digs.
Streaks and Trends
? Iowa State is 14-3 away from Hilton Coliseum this season, including 4-0 in neutral site matches.
? The Cyclones are 24-0 this season when taking the first set and 3-4 when losing the opening frame. ISU's three wins when dropping the opening frame came against Nebraska, Baylor and Texas.
? 17 of Iowa State's last 19 opponents have hit below .200. ISU has held 26 opponents to a hitting percentage under .200 this season and are undefeated when doing so.
? ISU opponents have only hit over .300 13 times in 162 matches under Johnson-Lynch. Topping .300 has happened just seven times in 99 matches since 2007.
? Mass has posted double-digit digs in 90 of the 92 matches she has started at libero. She is just two matches shy of setting the career mark for most 10+ dig matches.
? Manns is making her 97th-straight start at setter for the Cyclones.
? Mass is averaging 5.81 digs over the last 10 matches.
? Henson is averaging 4.40 kills per set over the last five matches.
? Stadick is hitting .387 and averaging 2.87 kills and 1.07 blocks over the last five matches.
Quick Look At Nebraska
? Nebraska enters Friday's match with a 25-6 mark overall after defeating Coastal Carolina and Northern Iowa last weekend in Lincoln.
? The Huskers are 79-24 (.767) all-time in NCAA Championship play.
? The Huskers have been red-hot since ISU defeated them on Oct. 21 in Lincoln. NU has lost just once since (Texas) and has swept its last nine matches, including a 3-0 sweep in Ames on Nov. 7.
? The Huskers hit .257 as a team, while holding opponents to a .148 hitting percentage. Nebraska is fourth in the Big 12 averaging 2.41 blocks per set.
? Nebraska is led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year Hannah Werth, who averages a team-best 3.24 kills and hits .243. Senior middle blocker Kori Cooper is the Big 12's most efficient hitter at a .373 mark.
? Setter Sydney Anderson dishes out 11.57 assists and digs 2.46 balls per set.
? Libero Kayla Banwarth ranks second to only ISU's Ashley Mass with 4.95 digs per set.
? Nebraska is coached by John Cook, who is 306-25 in 10 seasons at Nebraska.
? ISU head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch served as an assistant to Cook for two seasons at Wisconsin (1997-98).
? Nebraska holds a 76-1 edge in the all-time series, with the Cyclones only win coming this season in Lincoln.
NCAA Tournament Quick Notes
? ISU is 13-4 this season against teams that qualified for the postseason. Henson averaged 4.18 kills and Mass has notched 5.60 digs per set against those teams.
? Hockaday posted 3.30 kills against teams that were in the field of 64.
? ISU hit just .208 against tournament teams, but held those teams to a .161 efficiency.
? Manns is dishing out an impressive 12.67 assists and digging 4.00 balls in two tournament matches this year. Mass leads the team with 6.00 digs and Henson paces ISU with 4.17 kills in the tournament.
? Henson is ISU's all-time postseason leader with 144 tournament kills for a 4.24 kps average. She has been in double-figures in all but one of the nine tournament matches she has played. The only time she wasn't was against Wisconsin in 2007, when she finished with seven as ISU beat the Badgers to make its first Sweet 16.
? ISU is 4-1 all-time in neutral site NCAA Tournament matches.
? Kelsey Petersen is hitting .277 in six NCAA Tournament matches, well above her career average of .205.
Home Sweet Home
? With a return trip to Omaha, Christy Johnson-Lynch returns to where it all started. The Omaha native prepped at Millard North High School before starring for the Huskers on their 1995 national championship team.
The Cyclones also have four Nebraska natives on their roster, including starters Caitlin Mahoney (Omaha, Neb./Marian), Kelsey Petersen (Kearney, Neb.) and Jamie Straube (Tecumseh, Neb.). Reserve outside hitter Carly Jenson (Omaha, Neb./Millard North), who saw action in the first round against George Mason, also hails from Nebraska.
Manns The First
? Over the past four years, senior setter Kaylee Manns has established herself as one of the best all-around players in college volleyball. She cemented her legacy against Wichita State, becoming the first player in the history of the Big 12 to record 5,500 assists, 1,000 digs, 300 kills and 300 blocks in a career.
First Since 2003
? Iowa State is the first team since 2003 to beat both Texas and Nebraska in the same season. In 2003, Kansas State, Missouri and UCLA accomplished the rare feat.
Johnson-Lynch Big 12 Coach Of The Year; Cyclones Rack Up Honors
? Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches. She is the first female coach to win the award since Kansas State's Suzie Fritz in 2003.
Iowa State also took home a number of other honors, including Big 12 Libero of the Year when junior Ashley Mass was recognized for the second time in her career. Mass was also the first libero in Big 12 history to be named to the All-Big 12 first team. She was a unanimous pick as both libero of the year and a first-team selection.
Mass was joined on the first team by teammates Kaylee Manns and Victoria Henson, who both earned their second career honors. Rachel Hockaday was an honorable mention pick and Jamie Straube was a unanimous selection to the Big 12's All-Freshman team.
Back-To-Back-To-Back “Sweet 16” Appearances
? Eight teams, including Iowa State, have reached the NCAA Regional Semifinals in each of the last three seasons and the list is an impressive “who's who” of college volleyball. Here's a glance:
Stanford
Texas
Florida
Penn State
Michigan
California
Iowa State
Nebraska
Players Mentioned
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