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Iowa State University Athletics
No. 16 Iowa State Faces No. 8 Texas on ESPNU
09.30.2011 | Volleyball
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State (12-2, 3-0 Big 12) will play its fourth ranked opponent on Sunday when No. 8 Texas (8-4, 1-1) visits Hilton Coliseum for a nationally televised match on ESPNU. The Longhorns are the first ranked team to face the No. 16 Cyclones at home this season.
After defeating Kansas in straight sets on Wednesday, Iowa State is off to its best conference start in school history but Texas, coming off a loss at No. 25 Oklahoma, will look to spoil the home team's unblemished league record with its third-straight win over the Cyclones.
Iowa State enters Sunday's match hitting .260 on the season, paced by outside hitter Carly Jenson's 3.96 kills per set and .278 hitting percentage. The Longhorns will counter with a front row that is blocking 2.80 balls per set, ranked second in the Big 12.
While Texas boasts almost three blocks per set, the preseason pick for conference champion struggles in the passing game, averaging 13.67 digs per set on the year and 13.38 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones have the distinct edge in passing, averaging a league-best 17.37 digs per set.
Prior to the noon CDT start of the match, Iowa State will honor head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch for breaking the record for most wins by an Iowa State volleyball coach. Johnson-Lynch notched the 136th win of her career last Saturday at Texas Tech.
Cyclone Notebook
- Iowa State is off to the best conference start in school history at 3-0 this season after sweeping Kansas on Wednesday.
- Head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch will be honored before Sunday's noon match with No. 8 Texas. Johnson-Lynch broke the Iowa State record for most wins by a volleyball coach earlier this season against Texas Tech.
- Hannah Willms was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Sept. 26 after hitting .340 and averaging 3.50 kills per set against Missouri and Texas Tech. Willms also recorded two blocks in each match last week.
- Sunday marks the second time this season ESPNU has visited Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones beat Mizzou 3-0 on ESPNU on Sept. 21.
- Kansas was the seventh opponent of the season swept by the Cyclones. Iowa State finished last season with 12 sweeps.
- Wednesday match marked the fourth time this season an opponent has hit under .200 against Iowa State. The Jayhawks hit at a .124 clip.
- Iowa State has hit over .300 eight times this season, twice in Big 12 play including a .310 hitting percentage against Kansas.
- Kansas was the first Big 12 team to gain the blocking edge over Iowa State, collecting seven blocks to the Cyclones' five.
- Setter Alison Landwehr crossed the 1,800 assists mark on Wednesday picking up 35 assists against the Jayhawks for a career total of 1,813. Landwehr is 28 assists away from moving to ninth all-time at Iowa State.
- Middle blocker Jamie Straube moved to 20th all-time at Iowa State with 207 career block assists. Straube had three block assists against Kansas.
- Through 14 matches, Iowa State has out-dug 12 of its opponents (NDSU twice). Only UNI recorded more digs than the Cyclones.
- Iowa State sits atop the Big 12 this season with 17.37 digs per set. The team is currently third in the conference against league foes with an average of 16.89 digs per set.
- In the early conference season, the Cyclones, against league opponents, rank first in hitting (.327), opponent hitting (.115), assists (15.00), kills (15.89) and digs.
- The Cyclones are the only team to hit over .400 against a Big 12 opponent this season, hitting at a .402 clip against Missouri.
- Against Missouri, Texas Tech and Kansas, Iowa State has racked up 143 kills while holding foes to 93 total kills for a 15.89-10.33 edge per set.
- Serving has been a focus for Iowa State against the strong Big 12 defenses. The Cyclones are averaging 1.44 aces per set in three conference matches while opponents are acing ISU at a rate of 0.67 per set.
- Sophomore middle blocker Tenisha Matlock leads the league with a .485 hitting percentage in conference matches and ranks second with 1.44 blocks per set.
- Libero Kristen Hahn has yet to relinquish her hold on the top spot in digs among league players, averaging 5.63 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).
Streaks and Trends
- Iowa State opponents have hit over .300 just 15 times in 206 matches under Christy Johnson-Lynch.
- Iowa State went 12-1 in three set matches in 2010. Under Johnson-Lynch, Iowa State is 82-31 in three-set matches.
- This year the Cyclones are 7-2 in three-set matches, losing at No. 15 UNI and No. 10 Nebraska
- In true Johnson-Lynch fashion, Iowa State has out-dug 12 of its opponents (NDSU twice) 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.
- Already 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. 8 Texas
- Texas leads the series with Iowa State 29-3 including a come-from-behind 3-1 victory in Ames last season.
- The Longhorns and Cyclones have played three-straight matches of four or five sets with Texas taking two of the wins.
- Iowa State's has defeated Texas twice under Christy Johnson-Lynch. The 2005 Longhorns became the first conference win and first win over a ranked opponent for new coach Johnson-Lynch.
- The Cyclones upset No. 2 Texas in Ames in 2009 in five sets.
- Texas defeated Iowa State three times in 2008 including a four-set loss in the Austin Regional Final.
- In 2007, Iowa State trailed 0-2 against Texas before rallying and forcing a fifth set. The Cyclones had match point at 14-9 but the Longhorns charged back to win the deciding set, 18-16.
- Texas fell earlier in the week in five sets at No. 25 Oklahoma, bringing their conference record to 1-1.
- Senior middle blocker Rachael Adams leads the Longhorns, hitting .349 so far this season, ranked fourth in the conference.
- As a team, Texas is averaging 2.80 blocks per set led by Adams with 1.44 blocks per set. Sophomore Haley Cameron is adding 1.06 blocks per set.
- With an overall record of 8-4, Texas has been consistently outperformed by their opponents in digs and assists. The Longhorns have recorded 541 assists and 615 digs while their opponents combined have produced 515 assists and 643 digs.
- The Longhorns are led in assists by Hannah Allison (7.71 assists per set) and Michelle Kocher (4.71 assists per set).
- The Longhorns are 1-2 this season in matches that have lasted five sets but are 3-0 in 4-set matches.
- The Longhorns have played five matches against top 25 teams, going 1-4 in those matches. Their lone win was over No. 2 Penn State.
- No. 11 Minnesota swept the Longhorns on back-to-back days over Labor Day weekend.
- Libero Sydney Yogi leads the Longhorns in digs with 3.40 digs per set and freshman Khat Bell (2.49) and Sarah Palmer (2.18) provide defensive depth for Texas.
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