Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Texas Tech on September 25, 2026
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Iowa State University Athletics
No. 16 Cyclones Face No. 22 Sooners on Saturday
10.06.2011 | Volleyball
AMES, Iowa - Saturday brings yet another top 25 opponent for the No. 16 Cyclones (13-3, 4-1 Big 12), as No. 22 Oklahoma (17-3, 4-0) comes to Hilton Coliseum for a 6:30 p.m. CDT first serve.
Iowa State has played four ranked foes this season, earning its only win over No. 9 Florida on Labor Day. Last Sunday, No. 8 Texas held on to defeat Iowa State in five sets.
The Sooners are undefeated in conference play and are on an eight-match win streak heading into the weekend showdown. However, while six of Iowa State's last seven matches have finished in straight sets, Oklahoma needed five sets in each of its last three matches to get past Texas, Texas Tech and Missouri. Dating back to the non-conference season, Oklahoma has played five sets in four of its last five matches.
As they did against Kansas State, the Cyclones will have to work hard against the Sooners' service game which is averaging 1.32 aces per set this season. The Cyclones' service game will have its own challenges against an Oklahoma squad averaging 17.16 digs per set.
Iowa State has won three of the last five meetings between the teams and will lean on senior Carly Jenson, (3.85 kills per set) and junior Jamie Straube (.330 hitting) to secure Iowa State's fifth-straight home win over the Sooners.
Cyclone Notebook
- Kansas State became the latest sweep victim of Iowa State on Wednesday as the Cyclones grinded out the three-set win. It is ISU's eighth sweep this season.
- No. 22 Oklahoma comes to Ames on Saturday; the second ranked opponent to visit Hilton this week (Texas was in town on Sunday Oct. 2).
- The Sooners will be the fifth ranked foe to play ISU this season.
- The Wildcats mustered only .196 hitting on Wednesday, the 12th team to hit below .200 against Iowa State in 2011.
- The win marked the seventh-straight win and sixth-consecutive sweep of K-State dating back to 2008.
- Through Wednesday, the Cyclones are winning the digging battle 17.42-14.77 on the season and 17.29-14.47 in conference play.
- Although they rank last in the Big 12 in blocks this season (1.89), the Cyclones have limited blocks by Big 12 opponents, allowing foes the 2.12-2.06 blocking edge.
- The switch to swing blocking has resulted in more aggressive blocking from Iowa State. It's also led to more blocking errors. Iowa State has 51 blocking errors this season, three against K-State. The 2010 squad posted a total of 62 blocking errors.
- Middle blocker Jamie Straube has 14 blocking errors this year, one shy of her 2010 total. Alison Landwehr and Kelsey Petersen each have 10 blocking errors through 16 matches. The duo recorded a combined 17 blocking errors last year.
- Sophomore Tenisha Matlock had a career-high four digs against the tough-serving Wildcats on Wednesday.
- After hitting .385 at K-State, Straube's conference hitting percentage soared to a league-high .420. Straube ranks fifth in the league this season, hitting .330 overall.
- Petersen is hitting .316 this season and ranked 10th in the league.
- Matlock and Petersen join Straube on the top 10 list in hitting during conference play ranked sixth (.333) and seventh (.329), respectively.
- In the early conference season, the Cyclones, against league opponents, rank first in opponent hitting (.161), assists (13.41) and service aces (1.24).
- The squad is second in hitting (.261) and kills (14.12) while coming in third in digs (17.29).
- Libero Kristen Hahn has yet to relinquish her hold on the top spot in digs among league players, averaging 5.60 digs per set this season. Hahn's 35 digs against North Dakota State sits atop the Big 12.
- Caitlin Mahoney is the only Big 12 player with five aces in a match (Cincinnati).
- Nationally, the Cyclones rank 27th in digs (17.11) and 37th in hitting (.252). The team comes in 50th in both kills (13.65) and assists (12.72) per set.
- Hahn ranks 12th in the country with 5.48 digs per set.
- Landwehr, with her average of 11.02 assists per set, ranks 29th on the national scale.
Streaks and Trends
- Iowa State opponents have hit over .300 just 15 times in 208 matches (7%) under Christy Johnson-Lynch.
- Iowa State went 12-1 in three set matches in 2010. Under Johnson-Lynch, Iowa State is 83-31 in three-set matches.
- This year the Cyclones are 8-2 in three-set matches, losing at No. 15 UNI and No. 10 Nebraska
- In true Johnson-Lynch fashion, Iowa State has out-dug 14 of its opponents (NDSU twice) this season.
- Behind Johnson-Lynch's leadership, the Cyclones win 88% (112-15) of their matches when earning the first set victory.
- Iowa State has collected 20 wins for four-consecutive years under head coach Johnson-Lynch. The Cyclones have had 10 20+ win seasons since 1982.
- Under Johnson-Lynch, the Cyclones have won at least one match over a top 25 opponent in each of her seven seasons.
- This season, five players have led the Cyclones in kills during a match. Only three players ever led the team in kills in 2010.
Scouting No. 22 Oklahoma
- The Sooners lead the all-time series 42-25 but Iowa State has won three of the last four and five of the last eight.
- Last season each team won its home match for the season series split.
- Oklahoma comes to Ames on an eight-match winning streak after defeating Missouri in five sets on Wednesday.
- The 17-3 overall, 4-0 Sooners have played three-straight five-set matches against Texas, Texas Tech and Missouri. Four of their last five have gone the distance.
- Oklahoma is 1-1 against ranked opponents after losing to No. 15 Colorado State at home this season and beating No. 8 Texas at home last weekend.
- Although they have not dropped a match in league play, conference opponents are trailing in kills per set in their matches this season. Foes hold the 13.21-12.74 edge).
- One of the best defensive teams in the Big 12 this season, Oklahoma is limiting opponents to 0.83 service aces per set (1st in the league) and also leads in allowing only 1.63 blocks against its hitters.
- Two of Oklahoma's standout players were awarded conference honors this week. Senior Suzy Boulavsky took top offensive nods while middle blocker Sallie McLaurin was named top defensive player.
- Boulavsky is hitting .351 in conference this season with 3.63 kills per set.
- Boulavsky led OU with 14 kills in the Sooners' win over the Cyclones last season in Norman. Caitlin Higgins also added 14 kills in the win with two blocks (1 solo, 1 assist).
- McLaurin is one of the better defensive players in the league, leading the Big 12 with 1.68 blocks per set in conference play.
- Maria Fernanda is one of two players averaging more digs per set in Big 12 play than ISU's Kristen Hahn. Fernanda sits atop the conference with 5.63 digs per set.
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