GCU Tournament Primer

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State takes on the first road test with the GCU Tournament in Phoenix. The Cyclones first meet future Big 12 opponent Arizona Friday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT. On Saturday, Sept. 2, ISU will see Long Island at noon and the host GCU at 9 p.m.

Matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

Iowa State will meet both Arizona and GCU for the first time in program history. ISU has met Long Island once before in 2007, where the Cyclones won 3-1.

Annie Hatch, fresh off pickup up Cardinal and Gold All-Tournament honors will return to her home state of Arizona. Also earning All-Tournament honors was Morgan Brandt and Nayeli Gonzalez. Brandt earned MVP while showing her versatility at setter, totaling 65 assists, 20 digs, six kills, four blocks and two aces.

Iowa State opened the season strong hitting over .300 in both matches against South Dakota and DePaul. With the team's average hitting percentage of .320, ISU ranks second in the Big 12 and 18th in the nation. The Cyclones also rank among the best in opponent hitting average, holding opponents to just .060 to rank at No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big 12. ISU has also showed strength in blocking, putting up the second-highest average in the Big 12 with 3.17 per set.

Arizona (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12)

Arizona opened its season at the Cactus Classic, taking the victory over Pacific and losing to North Carlina in five sets and UC Davis in four. Sofia Maldonado Diaz and Jaelyn Hodge lead Arizona in kills, each totaling over 40 through the first three matches. Maldonado Diaz put up a 24 kills in the five setter against North Carolina and averages 3.64 per set.

Arizona is led by first-year head coach Charita Stubbs who was promoted after spending 19 years on Arizona's coaching staff. The Wildcats made 14 appearances at the NCAA Tournament through Stubbs' years at Arizona.

Long Island (0-3, 0-0 NEC)

Iowa State won the previous meeting with Long Island in 2007 at the Arizona State Classic. This season, Long Island has been handed losses by Lehigh, Iona and Temple. Long Island had three to total over 20 kills through opening weekend, including Celine Mukura who notched 22 on a .370 clip. Defensively, Rumur Rouille tallied 10 blocks, half of LIU's 20 total team blocks on the season.

Amalbe Martinez enters his first year at the helm for Long Island. Martinez previously coached at St. Francis Brooklyn and Saint Peter's.

Grand Canyon (2-1, 0-0 WAC)

Grand Canyon secured sweeps over Northeastern and Toledo and lost to Wake Forest in four sets. Preseason All-WAC selection Tatum Parrott leads the team this season with 44 kills at 4.40 per set and an efficiency of .336. Setter Klaire Mitchell also received preseason All-WAC honors who has racked up over 100 assists through 10 sets this season.

The Lopes are led by Tim Nollan who is in his eighth season. Prior to GCU, Nollan spent nine seasons on the coaching staff at USC including five seasons as the associate head coach.

Up Next

Following the GCU Tournament, the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series is up next. Iowa State travels to Iowa City to meet the Hawkeyes Wednesday, September 6 at 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Brandt

Nayeli Gonzalez

Annie Hatch

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics