Iowa State Tabbed to Finish Fourth in Big 12

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State volleyball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2019 Big 12 Preseason Volleyball Poll, released Thursday. This marks the 11th-consecutive season that the Cyclones have been picked to finish among the conference's top-four squads prior to the start of the season.

In head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch's first 14 seasons at Iowa State, the Cyclones have reached or out-performed their Preseason Coaches' Poll selection 12 times.

Iowa State will be looking to get back into the NCAA Volleyball Championship after missing for the first time in 13 years last season. Despite missing out on NCAAs, the Cyclones finished 2018 strong by winning its final nine matches of the season en route to winning the 2018 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) title.

Despite losing graduated three-time All-American Jess Schaben, the Cyclones return a strong group of contributors from last season's squad, led by 2019 All-Big 12 Preseason Team selection Eleanor Holthaus.

For the ninth-straight season, the league's coaches have chosen Texas to win the Big 12. Baylor was picked second and TCU third.

The 2019 Iowa State volleyball season will begin on Friday, Aug. 30 against UCF at the Rebel Invitational hosted by Ole Miss. Iowa State's first home match will come on Tuesday, Sept. 3 against South Dakota inside Hilton Coliseum.

2019 Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Texas (8) 64
2. Baylor (1) 57
3. TCU 42
4. Iowa State 40
5. Kansas State 34
6. Oklahoma 33
7. Kansas 31
8. Texas Tech 14
9. West Virginia 9

Players Mentioned

Eleanor Holthaus

Jess Schaben

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics