ISU Begins NCAA Championships vs. No. 15 Creighton

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AMES, Iowa - Iowa State returns to the NCAA Volleyball Championships on Friday with a First Round match-up against No. 15 Creighton. First serve between the Cyclones and Bluejays at Maturi Pavilion will be at 4:30 p.m.

ISU is in the NCAA Volleyball Championship for the 13th time in the past 14 years, one of 14 teams nationally to do so. The Cyclones will have a tough challenge on their hands against the BIG EAST regular season champions.

Follow the Cyclones

Friday afternoon's match will be streamed for free on BTN Plus, here. Live stats will be provided by Minnesota, here.

Texas Recap

Iowa State dropped its regular season finale to No. 4 Texas 3-1 on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum. The the third-straight match, Iowa State won the first set of the match but was unable to convert it into a victory, as the Longhorns rallied to hit .297 for the match. With Eleanor Holthaus out again due to an ankle injury, the Cyclones were led in attack by freshman Michal Schuler, who notched 15 kills, while fellow freshman Annie Hatch had 10. Izzy Enna, moving over to libero in place of Schuler, recorded 15 digs.

About Creighton

No. 15 Creighton wrapped up the regular season with a 24-5 overall record and BIG EAST regular season champions with a 17-1 league record. However, the Bluejays were unable to claim the conference tournament crown, falling to eventual champions St. John's in the semifinals, 3-0. The Jays, who were held to just .098 hitting, were led by 14 kills from Jaela Zimmerman.

Five of Creighton's starting seven earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors, with senior libero Brittany Witt earning Libero of the Year and outside hitter Keeley Davis claiming BIG EAST Freshman of the Years honors. Both were on the All-BIG EAST First Team, joined by middle blocker Megan Ballenger, setter Madelyn Cole and outside hitter Jaela Zimmerman. Davis, a 10-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, leads CU with 3.28 kills per set, while Zimmerman notches 3.11 kills per set. Ballenger, an Ankeny native, is CU's most efficient hitter, getting her 2.13 kills per set at .308 hitting.

Iowa State and Creighton will be playing for the 12th time on Friday, with ISU leading the all-time series 6-5. This will be the fourth-straight season the two teams have met, with the Jays winning 3-1 in Ames in 2016 and 3-1 in Omaha in 2018. Iowa State defeated then-No. 8 Creighton 3-2 at Wichita State in 2017. This will be the two teams' second meeting in the NCAA Volleyball Championships, the first one also happening at Minnesota in 2010, with the Jays knocking out ISU in the first round 3-2.