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Iowa State Prepares for 13-2 Baylor
09.20.2012 | Volleyball
AMES, Iowa – The No. 19 Iowa State volleyball team (6-4, 0-0 Big 12) returns to the court against Baylor (13-2, 0-0 Big 12) on Saturday. The match kicks off Big 12 play for the Cyclones, who are coming off a four-set (25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21) upset of No. 1 Nebraska last weekend.
The victory over the Cornhuskers marked the program's first over a top ranked opponent. The team rose to the No. 19 slot in national polls, and the win improved the Cyclones' record against ranked opponents this season to .500 (3-3).
Kristen Hahn garnered Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors, recording a season-high 26 digs. Hahn is averaging 4.63 digs per set, ranking fourth in the Big 12. Along with her defensive play, Hahn has also recorded 13 service aces on the season, averaging .32 per set (8th in the Big 12)
Junior middle blocker, Tenisha Matlock, looks to continue her success at the net. Matlock recorded 13 kills against the Cornhuskers, with a .357 hitting percentage on the day. Her .315 season mark places her 10th in the Big 12 among hitters averaging over 3.0 total attempts per set.
Cyclone setter Alison Landwehr is averaging 10.90 assists per set, ranking third in the Big 12. The junior from St. Louis, Mo. is also hitting .354 on her 82 season attacks.
Iowa State freshman Mackenzie Bigbee also finds herself on the Big 12 leader board, ranking 8th in kills per set (3.26), which is also tops among Big 12 freshmen. Bigbee has 127 kills in 39 sets.
Baylor right-side hitters Alyssa Dibbern and Adri Nora have been very important to the Bears this season. Hitting .288 and .341, respectively, the Bear frontline attack has been a key component of the team's early success.
The Cyclones and Bears are set to face off at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday.
Cyclone Notebook
• After defeating No. 1 Nebraska last weekend, the Cyclones open conference play against the Baylor Bears on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
• Iowa State's win over the Huskers is the programs first-ever win over a top-ranked team.
• The Cyclones also bagged their first home victory over the Huskers.
• Already this season, the Cyclones have beaten three top-25 teams.
• Last Saturday's win was the first for Iowa State this season when trailing in hitting percentage (.211-.182). The Cyclones are 1-4 when being out-hit by their opponent.
• Jamie Straube and Rachel Hockaday are the only Cyclones in Iowa State history to play in both wins over Nebraska.
• Hockaday posted her fifth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 17 digs in the match.
• Four Cyclones claimed 10-plus kills against Nebraska: Tenisha Matlock (13), Straube (12), Mackenzie Bigbee (10) and Hockaday.
• Balance was key on both sides of the ball as four Cyclones tallied double-digit digs as well. Libero Kristen Hahn led the team with 26, folowed by Hockaday, Caitlin Nolan (14) and Jenelle Hudson (12).
• Nebraska marked the third-straight match Nolan has recorded at least 10 digs.
• It was the first double-digit dig performance by Hudson, playing in her fourth match of the season.
• Nebraska is the seventh team Iowa State has held to sub-.250 hitting this season and the third ranked team.
• Used to losing the blocking war, the Cyclones win over Nebraska is the fifth win when being out-blocked this season.
• Setter Alison Landwehr crossed the 3,000 career assists mark against the Huskers. Landwehr is third all-time at Iowa State with 3,007 assists.
Streaks and Trends
• Iowa State opponents have hit over .300 just 16 times in 233 matches under Johnson-Lynch.
• Iowa State went 14-3 in three set matches in 2011 and is 2-1 in 2012. Under Johnson-Lynch, Iowa State is 91-33 in three set matches.
• Behind Johnson-Lynch's leadership, the Cyclones win 88% (126-18) of their matches when earning the first set victory.
• Iowa State has collected 20 wins in five-consecutive seasons under head coach Johnson-Lynch. The Cyclones have had 11 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 eight seasons and have defeated at least two top 25 teams in each of the last five seasons.
• In the last six seasons, Iowa State has downed at least two top-25 teams.
• Tenisha Matlock led the Cyclones with 13 kills while hitting at a .357 clip in Iowa State's win over No. 1 Nebraska. Matlock now ranks 10th in the conference in hitting percentage at .315.
• Senior setter Alison Landwehr is now averaging 10.90 assists a set, good for fourth in the conference.
• Freshman Mackenzie Bigbee is averaging 3.26 kills per set, which ranks seventh in the conference. Bigbee is the conference's only freshman to rank in the top-10 in kills.
Scouting Baylor
• Last year, Iowa State beat Baylor in both of the team's meetings, a 3-0 sweep in Ames and 3-2 win in Waco.
• Baylor is led offensively by Alyssa Dibbern, who is averaging 3.00 kills per set, while hitting .280 percent. Dibbern currently ranks ninth in the Big 12 in kills.
• Sophomore Adri Nora is ranked fifth in the conference in hitting percentage, swinging at a .356 clip so far this season.
• Baylor is averaging 1.31 service aces per set this season, fourth best in the conference
• This season, Baylor is 2-1 in away matches, with their lone loss on the season coming at Hawai'i
• The Huskers knocked UCLA out of the top spot in the rankings in a five-set win in Lincoln last month.
• Last weekend, Baylor won three matches in the Kathy Trosclair Memorial Tournament in New Orleans, La., only dropping two sets in the tournament.
• Baylor has three players ranked in the Big 12's top-10 in blocks per set in Adrien Richburg (1.26) and Tori Campbell (1.21).
• As a team, Baylor is out-hitting opponents .238-.153 and out-blocking opponents 2.64-1.51.
• Kate Harris runs the Baylor offense, averaging 10.70 assists per set, which ranks fifth in the conference.
• Freshman Mackenzie Mayo averages 3.20 digs per set, good for ninth-best in the conference.
Players Mentioned
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