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Iowa State University Athletics
2009 Season Outlook: Cyclones Not Worried About Expectations
08.21.2009 | Volleyball
Iowa State head volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch knows they are there, but the fifth-year coach doesn't pay much attention to them.
After losing just one starter off its Elite Eight team, expectations in Ames will likely be as high as they ever have been when the Cyclones take the floor in 2009. Johnson-Lynch knows they probably should, she's just not going to concern herself with them.
“Rising expectations and added pressure are something we knew we would have to deal with as our program continued to improve,” Johnson-Lynch said. “But we don't plan on changing our strategy at all in terms of how we talk about goals and expectations.”
Instead, Johnson-Lynch and her staff will focus on making every player better, which is something they have accomplished in each of her four years at the helm.
“To me, the most important thing is that each player gives their best effort everyday in practice and continues to improve in areas we feel they need to get better at. If they do that, then the team will come together and the wins will take care of themselves.”
Last year looked to be a rebuilding year as the Cyclones started slow before something special happened in the NCAA Tournament. For the second-straight season, the Cyclones came together at the right time, making a surprising run into the national spotlight with upsets of No. 10 Minnesota and seventh-ranked Oregon.
A large chunk of ISU's late-season success can be attributed to the play of underclassmen. The Cyclones got stellar play from All-Americans Victoria Henson, Kaylee Manns and Ashley Mass, as well as impressive postseason performances from a number of freshmen during the best run in school history.
The Cyclones lose just three players from last year's team, returning 76 percent of their kills and 82 percent of their digs.
Perhaps most importantly for the Cyclones will be the return of Manns, a three-year starting setter, and Mass, the Big 12's Libero of the Year. Both Manns and Mass were preseason All-Big 12 selections along with Henson, who was unanimously selected to the team.
Johnson-Lynch continually stresses the importance of passing and setting, and she'll have two of the best in the Big 12 returning to the fold this fall.
Manns led the Big 12 and finished fourth in the nation averaging 11.69 assists as a junior. She also set the Cyclones to a school-record .234 hitting percentage.
“Kaylee has been tremendous for us,” Johnson Lynch said of the team captain from Topeka, Kan. “I am very proud of her development both physically and mentally over these past four years.
“At this point in her career, I honestly don't have a lot more to teach her in terms of setting ? it is more about leadership and mental toughness,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She has really emerged as a leader for this team in the past year and she has earned the trust and respect of her coaches and teammates because she has demonstrated her toughness and competitiveness, time and time again.”
Mass, a Muskego, Wis. native, is probably the most consistent performer in the lineup night-in and night-out.
“Ashley is just a natural, her ability to put the ball on target is a talent that I am not sure can be taught” Johnson-Lynch said. “She's had that talent since she was in ninth grade, you could see it even then. Technically she has a great passing platform and just knows how to angle her arms to get the ball to the target.”
Johnson-Lynch praises Mass' composure as a key reason for her success at this level.
“Mentally, she is calm, composed and very steady,” Johnson-Lynch added. “What really makes her elite is that she is both a great passer and a great defender. A lot of liberos might be great at one but weak at the other, but she doesn't really have a weakness. She is one of the most consistent players I have ever coached. I have yet to see her have a bad practice or a bad match.”
Another major component in the postseason run was the play of Henson, a junior outside hitter from Leavenworth, Kan. Henson was named to the Austin Regional all-tournament team after averaging an impressive 4.82 kills per set in four postseason matches.
Johnson-Lynch credits much of the Big 12 first-teamer's success to confidence and decision making.
“Victoria was just amazing in the second half of our season last year. I don't totally know what clicked for her, but she became an incredibly dominant outside hitter for us the last two months of the season. Part of her improvement was confidence and part was continuing to work with her on decision making. She used to be almost strictly a cross-court hitter, but now she can hit line, use the block, and she's got a lot more shots.”
Because of a medical redshirt her freshman year, Henson will don the Cardinal and Gold for two more years and Johnson-Lynch expects her responsibilities to continue to expand both on the court and off.
“I'm really excited to see what she can do these next two years as we ask her to take on more responsibility, particularly as a passer and defender. Victoria has also made tremendous progress off the court. She has emerged as a leader for this team because she is a good student, she works hard at everything she does and her teammates know they can depend on her.”
Henson's partner on the outside, sophomore Rachel Hockaday, played all six rotations last year, a rare feat for any freshman. Hockaday's all-around performance was evident in the statistics as she became just the fifth rookie in school history to average over 2.00 kills and 2.00 digs per set.
“Rachel was a great surprise for us last year,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I really didn't expect her to come in and play as much as she did, but she quickly established herself as one of our best passers and most steady hitters. It's very hard for a freshman to do what she did, especially in the Big 12.”
Hockaday was just one piece of a five-player freshman class that lived up to its No. 25 national ranking. The trio of Hockaday, Kelsey Petersen and Debbie Stadick burst onto the scene in the second round against Minnesota, connecting for 37 kills on 92 swings with just four errors for a .359 hitting percentage. Carly Jenson and Caitlin Mahoney also saw significant action throughout the season.
“We took some losses early on but we made the decision that by the end of the season we could be a very good team if that group got experience,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Each of them played a significant role at some point, and we would not have made our Elite Eight run without the improvements they each made. They are all very competitive, they all work very hard, and I am excited to see what this class can do over the next few years.”
With Stadick and senior Diane Kieger returning to the mix at middle blocker, the Cyclones will be stacked when you consider that three players from ISU's No. 10 recruiting class could also see time on the inside.
“This will be the deepest we have been at the middle blocking position since I came here,” Johnson-Lynch said of the position, which has had an all-conference performer in each of the last four seasons. “I love training the middle transition, it's one of my favorite parts of the game, so I'm excited to have so many great athletes in that position.”
Johnson-Lynch believes that there is plenty of talent and experience for the Cyclones to excel at that position this fall.
“Kieger and Stadick are both very experienced and have a great understanding of their blocking responsibilities and how to make decisions. Both put up a huge block and have the ability to take over a game with their blocking. (Hannah) Johnson and (Jamie) Straube, while not experienced at the college level, have played a very high level of club and are very physical. Because of her size and long limbs, (Taylor) Knuth is well suited for the middle or right side.”
Petersen will open the fall as the starter on the right side after being brought along slowly as a freshman. The Kearney, Neb. native, who was still recovering from shoulder surgery when she arrived in Ames, averaged 1.79 kills and 0.68 blocks as a rookie.
“Kelsey is a tremendous athlete and her blocking is really what makes her so good in that position,” Johnson-Lynch said. “This spring we worked a lot on her offense and tried to put more pressure on her to get kills and be a bigger part of the offense.”
Jenson could see time on the right side and left side this season. She saw spot time last fall, racking up a career-high nine kills in a win over Colorado. Junior Rachel Williams is another player that will compete for time on both sides of the court.
“Carly played on both sides this spring, she is very good at both and understands both really well,” Johnson-Lynch said of the Omaha, Neb. native. “Rachel has also trained on both sides and, although she was slowed by injuries this spring, she is pretty versatile and can play either spot.”
Johnson-Lynch is also excited about another possibility due to the versatility the outside players on the team possess.
“We spent some time this spring having Kelsey switch with our outsides for blocking purposes, and they all seem pretty comfortable doing that, so at times you could see Hockaday or Henson switch and block right side depending on the situation.”
As is always the case with Johnson-Lynch coached teams, the defensive specialist position will be one to watch this fall. Caitlin Mahoney will see time with the other spots still open to competition. Junior Cassie Pratt and freshman Annie Meyer both could see time.
“Caitlin had a great spring and showed major improvement in passing and defense,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She will likely take on more passing responsibility this fall. She's got a great jump serve and gives us a chance to run points off of it.
“Cassie has become a very good defensive player and she made some plays this spring that really made us take notice. Annie has a ton of potential and could contribute as well. My hope is that we will again be one of the best defensive and ball control teams in the country.”
The Cyclones will hold their annual Cardinal & Gold Scrimmage Saturday at Hilton Coliseum at 1 p.m. The regular season opens next Friday against UW-Milwaukee at 6:30 p.m.
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