Completed Event: Volleyball at #15 Kansas on October 10, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 3
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Iowa State University Athletics
2009 Iowa State Volleyball Year In Review
01.28.2010 | Volleyball
The Progression To Elite Status...
It's a step every program looks to make, the one from good to elite. In 2009, the Iowa State volleyball team took that step.
The postseason run didn't extend past the previous season, like it did in 2007 and 2008, but the success was still there and it was sustained over the course of the season.
The 2009 version of Iowa State Volleyball opened the season ranked 13th in the AVCA Coaches Poll and fell no farther than one spot during the season. ISU peaked at fifth in the final regular season poll before finishing the campaign sixth in the country.
The Cyclones again made the Sweet 16, becoming one of just eight schools in the country to reach the third round in each of the last three seasons.
When it comes to which highlight from the season you enjoyed the most just take your pick.
Snapping a 75-match losing streak to Nebraska with a 3-2 win at NU Coliseum? Being one of just two teams to defeat Texas and the ensuing celebration when fans stormed the court? The 10,203 fans that poured into Hilton Coliseum to watch eighth-ranked Iowa State face 10th-ranked Nebraska? Hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Hilton Coliseum?
A person can't really go wrong in mentioning any of those.
The Cyclones finished the season 27-5 overall and second in the Big 12 at 17-3. The 27 wins was a NCAA era school record, as were the 17 conference wins.
Hilton Coliseum continued its path towards becoming one of the most feared arenas for opposing teams. The Cyclones, who finished 13-1 at home, ranked ninth in the country in average attendance at 2,734 per match.
How It Went Down...
The season opened with a rare two-match series in Ames against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which had defeated the Cyclones early in 2008.
The Cyclones, who were picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll, earned a pair of sweeps against the Panthers. In the season opener, Kelsey Petersen led the way with 10 kills and ISU held UWM to a .102 hitting percentage.
In the rematch the following day, Victoria Henson and Rachel Hockaday led the way with 16 and 11 kills, respectively, as ISU won in convincing fashion. The Cyclones hit .358 in the contest and limited UWM to just a .093 efficiency.
The Cyclones then hit the road for a rivalry match against Northern Iowa. Hockaday blasted 18 kills and Jamie Straube finished with 13 as the Cyclones won in four sets despite playing without Henson, who was serving a one-match suspension.
That weekend, ISU traveled to the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. After wins over George Washington and Auburn, ISU dropped its first contest of the season, a 3-1 setback, to eventual Final Four participant and host Minnesota. The loss came despite Henson's 21-kill/20-dig performance, which was the first 20/20 match for ISU in 286 contests.
After cruising to a 3-0 record and tournament title at the Hawkeye Challenge, which featured wins over Iowa, Drake and Northern Colorado, the Cyclones were set to leap into Big 12 play.
ISU, which picked up its first-ever top-10 ranking heading into conference action, opened league play at home against a struggling Colorado team. The Cyclones hit .371 in a sweep to improve to 9-1 overall heading into a road contest with second-ranked Texas.
The much-anticipated showdown between the Longhorns and Cyclones proved to be a one-sided affair with UT earning the sweep.
ISU then dropped its second-straight match, falling 3-0 to Baylor, despite a record-setting night for Ashley Mass. The junior libero put up a three-set Big 12 record 33 digs as the Cyclones fell to 9-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Then the Cyclones got hot, winning 11-straight matches.
The school-record streak started against Kansas State. The Cyclones rode 13 Hockaday kills and a .327 hitting percentage to another sweep.
Following a convincing road sweep of Texas Tech in which Henson topped 1,000 career kills, ISU returned home to face Missouri.
The Cyclones used a strong defensive effort and a career-high 15 kills from Debbie Stadick to sweep the Tigers for their third win in a row and the 90th of Christy Johnson-Lynch's career.
Next up on the docket was a tough road match at Oklahoma, where ISU hadn't won since 2005.
After the teams split the first two sets, ISU cruised in the third and held off the scrappy Sooners to get the win. Henson was her dominant self, blasting 24 kills to go along with 14 digs, three solo blocks and three block assists. Kaylee Manns was also outstanding in the match, dishing out 46 assists and digging a team-high 23 balls.
ISU then took to the road to face Kansas, looking to avenge another 2008 road loss.
The Cyclones didn't disappoint, sweeping the Jayhawks in impressive fashion behind 13 Henson kills. ISU out blocked KU 13-2 in the match. Manns dished out 34 assists to become just the fifth player in Big 12 history to post 5,000 career assists.
In search of a sixth-straight win, ISU hosted No. 22 Texas A&M and earned another sweep. Hockaday finished with a match-high 15 kills and Henson chipped in 12 to lead the Cyclones.
Next up was a trip to Lincoln, Neb., and what a trip it would be for Iowa State.
The odds were stacked against the 14th-ranked Cyclones. No wins in 33 years and 75 tries against a Nebraska team that had won 93 of its last 94 matches at NU Coliseum.
A daunting task for sure, but one this Cyclone squad could handle.
The Huskers stormed out of the gate to take the first set 25-18, but the Cyclones rebounded to win the second 25-19 and tie it at 1-1 heading into the break.
After the Huskers took a hard fought third set (25-23), ISU hit .447 to capture the fourth set 25-21 and force a fifth and deciding frame.
In the fifth set, Nebraska jumped out to a 6-4 lead following a kill by Brooke Delano. The Cyclones followed with a 6-1 run to go up 10-7 after a solo block by Henson.
After Nebraska trimmed the lead to 10-8, ISU recorded one of the best points in recent history. In a rally that will go down in the annals of Cyclone Volleyball history, ISU got a block from Manns and Stadick on a point that featured the ball crossing the net 19 times and lasted well over a minute.
That point took some of the wind out of the announced crowd of 4,137. And if it wasn't that point, a Henson kill and an ace by Manns on the next two points certainly did.
ISU captured the match a few points later when Jamie Straube and Hockaday teamed up to block a Lindsey Licht attack, which set off a wild celebration on the Huskers' home floor.
The win was especially gratifying for Johnson-Lynch, a Husker alum, and the four Nebraska natives on the Iowa State roster. Straube, a Tecumseh, Neb. native, finished with 11 kills and eight block assists in her first match in her home state.
It was fitting that Hockaday was involved in the final point, as the sophomore had a huge night, finishing with 18 kills, 11 digs and five block assists in the historical win. Five players had double-digits digs, led by Mass' 25 digs.
After a three-set victory over Texas Tech, Iowa State's seventh in a row over the Red Raiders, the Cyclones welcomed Baylor for a match between two nationally ranked foes.
The match against the Bears would be another five-set thriller, with Baylor taking sets one and four, and the Cyclones winning two and three.
Things looked grim in the fifth set, with Baylor holding a 12-7 lead before ISU forced a timeout with two-straight points. Out of the timeout, Henson notched a kill and then teamed up with Straube on a block to make it 12-11. The teams traded tallies and Baylor had a pair of match points. After another unforced error by Baylor, Manns went to her bread-and-butter, Henson, who promptly blasted her 24th kill to make it 14-14. Kelsey Petersen then notched a kill to give ISU match point and Henson served up an ace to complete the rally.
Mass had another huge night for the Cyclones, recording a school and Big 12 record 42 digs in the match, which featured 226 digs between the teams. Manns added 25 digs and Henson notched 22 to go along with her match-high 24 kills.
After disposing of Colorado on the road, the Cyclones returned home to face undefeated and second-ranked Texas the following Wednesday. The Longhorns had won 27-straight regular season matches and ISU had just two wins all-time against the visitors.
After splitting the opening four sets, ISU trailed 9-6 to the Longhorns in the fifth. The mentally tough Cyclones weren't finished, forcing a timeout at 9-8 on a kill from Hockaday and an errant swing by UT's Rachel Adams. Hockaday notched another kill out of the break, but Texas regained the lead on the next point.
ISU again turned to Hockaday, who had six kills in the set, and Texas committed another error, as ISU took its second lead of the frame at 11-10. The Cyclones held off the powerful Longhorn attack, scoring three of the next five points before Straube ripped the match winner and bedlam ensued with Cyclone fans spilling onto the court in jubilation.
The win marked ISU's highest ever over a ranked opponent and spotlighted Cyclone fans as video of the celebration filtered through the volleyball world.
That set the stage for a memorable night at Hilton Coliseum when ISU played host to Nebraska in another top-10 showdown. The match was played in front of an ISU and state of Iowa collegiate record 10,203 fans, which marked the fifth largest crowd in the nation in 2009.
Unfortunately for the Cyclones, the record night didn't turn out as it had hoped as Nebraska swept the match, handing ISU its first loss in 12 matches.
Following the Nebraska match, ISU showed its composure, closing the regular season with five-straight sweeps to enter the postseason with a 25-4 mark overall and a second-place finish in the Big 12 at 17-3.
The following day the Cyclones and some faithful fans headed to West Cyde Wings in Ames for Selection Sunday. In front of a standing-room only gathering, ISU was awarded the seventh seed and the right to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championships.
Joining the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum would be George Mason, conference champion of the Colonial Athletic Association. The winner was to face Saint Louis or Wichita State the following day.
The Cyclones proved too much for the smaller Patriots, sweeping the opening round match in convincing fashion. Stadick hit .391 and finished with a match-high 11 kills in front of 2,564 fans as ISU advanced to face Wichita State in the second round.
The Cyclones rode 15 kills from Henson and 12 from Hockaday to sweep the Shockers for their seventh straight-set win in a row to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third-straight season. The third-straight trip made ISU one of just eight teams in the country to accomplish the feat the past three seasons.
The Cyclones' season came to an end the following week with a 3-0 loss at the hands of Nebraska in the Omaha Regional Semifinal.
Henson led the Cyclones against the Huskers, posting a match-high 13 kills to earn a spot on the regional all-tournament team.
Postseason Awards Flock In...
The year was marked by both team and individual accomplishments, and the Cyclones were rewarded for their efforts.
Johnson-Lynch picked up a number of honors. She was named the Asics/Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year and also picked up Big 12 Coach of the Year honors, becoming the first female coach to earn the league's honor since 2003. Johnson-Lynch also earned AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year accolades.
Individually, Mass picked up first-team All-America honors, becoming the first Cyclone in school history to earn top honors from the AVCA. Mass, a two-time All-American, was also named Big 12 Libero of the Year for the second season in a row and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection. The junior is the first libero in league history to be named to the first team, where she was a unanimous pick.
Mass took home Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors six times during the season and enters her senior campaign as the league's active leader with 12 career weekly honors.
Manns joined Mass as a two-time All-American, picking up second-team honors for the second time in her career. The senior, who is the only player in Big 12 history to record 5,500 assists, 1,000 digs, 300 kills and 300 blocks, also captured first-team All-Big 12 honors for the second-time.
Manns was recognized for her efforts in the classroom as well, earning first-team academic All-Big 12 honors for the third season in a row. She was named to ESPN The Magazine's second-team academic all-district team. Manns' fellow senior Diane Kieger was also named to the Big 12's academic first team for the third time in her career.
Henson was named a third-team All-American after being an honorable mention selection in 2008. The junior was also a first-team All-Big 12 selection for the second year in a row.
Henson earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week accolades three times. She was named AVCA National Player of the Week honors after averaging 5.00 kills and 4.00 digs in ISU's wins at Texas A&M and Kansas State.
Straube became the third Cyclone in as many seasons to earn Big 12 All-Freshman team honors after picking up rookie of the week honors twice during the season. She was one of just two freshman unanimously selected to the team.
Hockaday continued as a valuable second option at outside hitter for the Cyclones, capturing All-Big 12 honorable mention honors as a sophomore.
What The Future Holds...
The future remains bright for the Cyclones, who will return all but two players from the 2009 squad. The biggest missing piece will be the four-year starting setter Manns. ISU will also have to replace Kieger, who averaged 1.58 kills per set over the course of her career.
Alison Landwehr is the heir apparent at setter for the Cyclones after seeing limited action as a freshman. Landwehr was the No. 24 recruit in the country according to PrepVolleyball.com as a high school senior.
The Cyclones have a solid freshman class coming in that will address many needs.
Among the additions are Hannah Willms, an explosive 6-0 outside hitter, who will provide depth at the position as the No. 37 high school senior in the country.
Joining Willms will be Kristen Hahn, a defensive specialist, and Tenisha Matlock, who could see action at any of the front row spots.
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/ VolleyballVB Replay Baylor at ISU 2025
Thursday, October 30
VB Highlights vs. Baylor
Wednesday, October 29
VB Replay ISU at Colorado 2025
Monday, October 27
VB Highlights vs. Colorado
Saturday, October 25
