No. 12 Cyclones Visit No. 15 UNI

AMES, Iowa - Tuesday night the fight for volleyball dominance in the state of Iowa takes place as the No. 12 Cyclones (9-0) head north to No. 15 Northern Iowa (6-1). For the second-straight year, both teams are ranked heading into the annual meeting. The No. 11 Cyclones defeated No. 18 UNI in straight sets last season in Ames.

Also on the line is Iowa State's unbeaten streak. The Cyclones have started the season 9-0 for the first time in program history, a streak that includes a 3-2 win at then-No. 9 Florida on Labor Day.

Since 2005, the Cyclones are 5-2 against the Panthers, a drastic shift from the 11-straight losses Iowa State suffered against its in-state rival dating back to 1992. The Cyclones aim to win their fourth-consecutive match against UNI on Tuesday.

Libero Kristen Hahn is coming off the best match of her career, having collected a career-high 35 digs against North Dakota State in Iowa State's 3-2 win on Saturday. Hahn is the only Big 12 player with 30 or more digs in a match this season, a mark she has hit twice in the non-conference schedule.

Junior middle blocker Jamie Straube led the Cyclones with a career-high 19 kills on Saturday and leads the team in hitting with a .337 percentage this season. Straube leads the effort at the net as well with 1.00 blocks per set and has a team-high five solo blocks.

UNI has proven strong at the net this season, averaging 2.27 blocks per set, led by junior Krista DeGeest with 1.31 blocks per set. On offense, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference champions are led by middle blocker Michelle Burrow who is hitting .325.

The Cyclones and Panthers renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. CDT Tuesday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

Cyclone Notebook

With two wins over North Dakota State last weekend, the No. 17 Cyclones improve to 9-0 for the season, the best start in program history. The team bypasses the 8-0 mark set by the 1997 Cyclones.
Iowa State's match with Nebraska on Saturday night will air on tape-delay on the Big Ten Network. Date and time to be determined.
Christy Johnson-Lynch has coached 201 matches in her collegiate and Iowa State head coaching career.
Johnson-Lynch's next win will tie her with Vicki Mealer (1985-92) for the most wins as an Iowa State head volleyball coach (135).
The five-set win over the Bison on Saturday marks the first time Iowa State has won two five-set matches since 2009, when the squad had three such victories (Texas, Nebraska, Baylor).
Libero Kristen Hahn had 35 digs against NDSU on Saturday, a career-high for the sophomore. Hahn is the only Big 12 player to post 30 or more digs in a match this season, a feat she has accomplished twice. (Northern Illinois)
Kelsey Petersen's .565 hitting percentage against Florida was a career-best and the highest hitting percentage by a Big 12 player against a ranked opponent this season.
Jamie Straube has a career-best 19 kills in the Cyclones' 3-2 win over the Bison.
Carly Jenson and Alison Landwehr posted double-doubles in the five-setter, each ending up a dig shy of her career- high (Jenson had 20, Landwehr 12).
Jenson's .462 hitting on Saturday was a personal-best for the senior.
Hannah Willms recorded the first solo block of her career in Saturday's win.
Hahn continues to lead the league in digs this season with an average of 5.85 digs per set. Hahn has recorded at least 25 digs in three matches this season, the same number of matches that former All-American Ashley Mass had with 25 digs or more last season.
Unsurprisingly, Iowa State leads the Big 12 with an average of 17.56 digs per set.
Landwehr is the conference's top setter with 11.24 assists per set.
Caitlin Mahoney ranks first in the league with 0.50 service aces per set. Mahoney is the only conference player with 5 aces in a match this season (Cincinnati).
Jenson ranks in the top 10 in the Big 12 in kills (5th, 3.72), digs (9th, 3.41) and points (7th, 3.97).

Streaks and Trends

Iowa State opponents have hit over .300 just 15 times in 201 matches under Christy Johnson-Lynch.
Landwehr has 40+ assists in five of the first nine matches of 2011.
Iowa State went 12-1 in three set matches in 2010. Under Johnson-Lynch, Iowa State is 77-29 in three-set matches.
This year the Cyclones are 4-0 in three-set matches.
In true Johnson-Lynch fashion, Iowa State has out-dug all eight of its opponents (nine matches) this season.
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 one at least one match over a top 25 opponent in each of her seven seasons.

Scouting No. 14 Northern Iowa

The Panthers lead the all-time series 25-23 but Iowa State is quickly closing the gap, having won five of the last seven (all under Christy Johnson-Lynch)
Before Johnson-Lynch arrived at ISU in 2005, UNI had taken 11-straight from the Cyclones, dating back to 1992.
The Cyclones swept No. 18 UNI last year in Ames
Three of the five wins against the in-state rivals since 2005 have come in five sets, including back-to-back wins in 2008 (postseason) and 2009
UNI returns five of its starters from its 2010 NCAA tournament team that finished the season 30-3, 18-0 MVC.
The Panthers are 6-1 on the season, with their only loss coming to No. 6 Minnesota over the weekend.
The balanced offense of UNI is led by senior middle blocker Michelle Burrow who is hitting .325 this season.
Four Panthers have posted over 100 points already this season, compared with two Cyclones at the 100-point mark.
Strong defensively, the Panthers are averaging 15.95 digs per set and 2.27 blocks per set.
Junior middle blocker Krista DeGeest is the top blocker for UNI with 51 total blocks, an average of 1.31 blocks per set.

Players Mentioned

Kristen Hahn

Kristen Hahn

Carly Jenson

Carly Jenson

Alison Landwehr

Alison Landwehr

Caitlin Mahoney

Caitlin Mahoney

Ashley Mass

Kelsey Petersen

Kelsey Petersen

Jamie Straube

Jamie Straube

Hannah Willms

Hannah Willms

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