Cyclone Depth Leads to Omaha Sweep

OMAHA, Nebraska – The Iowa State volleyball team used all of its depth in a 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 26-24) sweep Thursday night at Omaha inside Baxter Arena. The win improved the Cyclones to 2-1 on the year, while the Mavericks fell to 0-4.

A pair of ISU debutants led the attack as Genesis Miranda posted 11 kills, while Anna Kiel fired 10 kills at a .643 hitting percentage. Iowa State played 14 of its 15 players on the night, with three Cyclones making their debuts in Cardinal and Gold.

Serving Sets Stage in First Set Win
Serving played an important role early on as a strong start by the Omaha offense was offset by a trio of service errors, meaning the Mavs' .500 hitting in the first 10 points only kept it tied 5-5. ISU got back in control via back-to-back aces by Alexis Conaway, followed by consecutive kills from Genesis Miranda to up the ISU advantage to 11-8. The Cyclone offense finally found its groove on the pins as Ciara Capezio and Genesis Miranda started firing, each contributing five kills in the first frame as the Cyclones got up by as much as nine at 24-15. ISU converted on the second asking, as Samara West stuffed Amanda Conlin and ISU won the first 25-16.

Heavy Rotation Doesn't Stop ISU
Iowa State made a plethora of changes, with only Miranda and West in the same spot as the previous frame. The new faces did not hesitate getting involved. Anna Kiel got back-to-back kills in her first two points in Cardinal and Gold and Hannah Bailey also chipped in on offense as ISU got ahead early. However, the Mavs hung tough with the rotating Cyclones, and eventually started firing on offense, going on a 4-0 run to move ahead 14-11. That Mavs lead got up to four at 17-13 before Iowa State was able to reel the Mavs back in and tie it back up at 17-17. Iowa State finally got back ahead at 21-20 when Ellie Brown tipped a shot wide. Another Omaha attack error, this by Mackenzie Horkey, gave ISU the set at 25-23.

Iowa State Hangs On For Sweep
The heavy ISU rotation continued, as the Cyclones ran their 6-2 offense in the third frame. The ISU offense continued to power on, as Iowa State continued to get strong production across the front row. Once again, however, the Mavericks battled well with the Cyclones as UNO was able to hang with ISU with another strong offensive set, hitting .314 for the frame. However, ISU once again showed its superiority behind the service line, firing three aces on the frame to help keep the visitors ahead. A solo block by Miranda brought up match point, which was converted on the first try by Bailey's sixth kill of the evening at 26-24.

Cyclone Notes
*Hannah Bailey posted a career-high six kills.
*Freshmen Sami Hillmer and Anna Kiel both made their Iowa State debuts. All 15 members of the Iowa State squad have now played in 2016.
*Kiel marked her Cyclone debut with 10 kills, her first career match in double figures.
*Genesis Miranda made her first appearance in an Iowa State match, also making her first career start in the Cardinal and Gold.
*Miranda also recorded her first match as a Cyclone in double figures for kills, recording 11.

Up Next
Iowa State returns to action tomorrow against No. 1 Nebraska in the Nebraska Invite. First serve between the Cyclones and Cornhuskers at the Devaney Center will be at 7 p.m.

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Team Stats

Genesis Miranda

Anna Kiel

Morgan Kuhrt

Ciara Capezio

Players Mentioned

Hannah Bailey

Ciara Capezio

Alexis Conaway

Sami Hillmer

Anna Kiel

Genesis Miranda

Samara West

Players Mentioned

Hannah Bailey

Ciara Capezio

Alexis Conaway

Sami Hillmer

Anna Kiel

Genesis Miranda

Samara West

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Iowa State University Athletics