Stellar Schaben Stifles Syracuse

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Iowa State got a massive performance from Jess Schaben to sweep Syracuse 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-21) Saturday evening at the Nebraska Invitational inside the Devaney Center. The win moves ISU up to 3-2 on the year, while the Orange are now 0-4 on the year.

Schaben tied an ISU Rally Scoring Era record for most kills in a three-set match with 19 at a .372 hitting percentage. Branen Berta guided the backline with 14 digs while Suzanne Horner had 41 assists.

Dominant Schaben Too Much For Syracuse
Jess Schaben was a problem for Syracuse early on, as the Cyclones' big outside hitter's power proved to be way too much for the Orange block to contain. As with her new role in 2016, Schaben's impact was all over the court as she was firing from the front and back rows, posting five kills in the set. Her offense helped ISU to a 5-0 run that build the Cyclone advantage to 12-6. The ISU offense fired a .323 hitting percentage in the first set while keeping the Orange in the negative with a -.038 hitting clip. ISU wrapped the set up on the first try as the serving Morgan Kuhrt fired a shot from the back row to take the first 25-14.

Balanced Cyclones Take Set Two
The Cyclones were able to build an early lead on the back of a balanced attack that started to get the middles, especially Alexis Conaway, more involved. It only took nine points for ISU to get up by five points at 7-2, but the Cyclones took a little time to push further ahead. The breakthrough came at 18-12 when Schaben ended a lengthy rally with her ninth kill of the day. The Iowa State block continued its strong performance, as Hannah Bailey and Samara West combined to stuff Mackenzie Weaver to give ISU set two 25-15.

Lazard, Schaben Guide ISU Home to Sweep
The third set started with a first on the day, Syracuse with a lead, as the Orange opened up an early lead. However, the lead was short lived as the Cyclones got a powerful contribution from Grace Lazard to help move ISU back in front. The Orange did well to battle back to a couple of ties, but they were unable to repossess the lead. The attacks of Lazard and Schaben were too much for Cuse to handle, with the Londoner finishing her one set of action of the day with four kills. While ISU was unable to put away SU in the fashion they did in the first two sets, the job was done when Genesis Miranda split the SU block for a kill to take the third 25-21.

Cyclone Notes
*Branen Berta recorded a team-high 14 digs, her second-straight match in double figures, fourth of the season and 13th of the season.
*Jess Schaben led Iowa State with 19 kills, her second match of the season in double figures and 21st of her career.
*With her 19 kills, Schaben tied the ISU record for most kills in a three-set match (Rally Scoring Era). Ciara Capezio had 19 against South Dakota in 2013.

Up Next
Iowa State returns home to host the Cyclone Invitational next weekend. The tournament begins Friday with the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown against Iowa. First serve will be at 6 p.m. inside Hilton Coliseum.

Next Event

Team Stats

Jess Schaben

Alexis Conaway

Genesis Miranda

Morgan Kuhrt

Players Mentioned

Hannah Bailey

Branen Berta

Ciara Capezio

Alexis Conaway

Suzanne Horner

Morgan Kuhrt

Grace Lazard

Genesis Miranda

Jess Schaben

Samara West

Players Mentioned

Hannah Bailey

Branen Berta

Ciara Capezio

Alexis Conaway

Suzanne Horner

Morgan Kuhrt

Grace Lazard

Genesis Miranda

Jess Schaben

Samara West

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics