PRIMER: ISU Hosts TTU, UCF

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State opens the Big 12 home slate hosting Texas Tech Thursday and UCF Saturday. The Cyclones enter week six receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll.

Thursday, Oct. 2, 6:30 p.m., vs. Texas Tech

Tickets | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Media Center | Notes

ESPN+: PxP Noah Wolf, Analyst Jamie Steyer Johnson, Reporter Abby Altman

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2 p.m., vs. UCF

Tickets | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Media Center | Notes

ESPN+: PxP BJ Schaben, Analyst Jesse Klein, Reporter Elizabeth Ihle

By the Numbers

1 – Morgan Brandt leads all active Big 12 players with 3,129 career assists. The total ranks fourth in program history.

1 – Iowa State leads the Big 12 in kills (14.53/set), assists (13.49/set) and hitting percentage (0.307). The averages rank fifth nationally.

3 – Christy Johnson-Lynch ranks No. 3 all time in Big 12 history with 208 league victories.

5 – ISU hit at .333 or better in the first five matches of the season. The last time ISU had a stretch of five-straight .300 matches happened in in 1992.

8 – The Cyclones ended con-conference at 10-1, the best mark in eight seasons.

44 – Maya Duckworth stands 44 kills away from becoming the 12th Cyclone in program history to hit 1,000 career kills. Duckworth currently ranks 15th in ISU history.

Promotions

Thursday is Sneakerhead Night as ISU kicks off the conference home schedule. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite sneakers for a chance to win prizes throughout the match. A custom Nike shoe raffle will be open to students. Saturday is BLOCK-toberfest, fans can receive a match ticket and a choice of hot dog or pretzel for $10.70, available here. Food vouchers can be picked up at the marketing table on the South concourse. Black Iowa State mugs will be given out to students. To view all match promotions, visit this link.

The 2025 Cyclones

Iowa State received votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll after splitting a pair of ranked matches on the road. ISU reverse swept No. 23 Utah, before extending the third set at No. 14 BYU to nearly force a fourth.

The Utah win was the 51st in program history, with 45 of those happening under Christy Johnson-Lynch. Freshman Alea Goolsby led ISU with 24 kills at .316, also totaling 11 digs. It was her second 20-plus kill match and third double-double.

The Opponents

ISU rides a five-match win streak in the series, with the last three resulting in Cyclone sweeps. Texas Tech opened conference at home meeting No. 20 Baylor where the Red Raiders fell in four. TTU then traveled to Houston where they also won a set but dropped the match. Libero Sierra Grizzle leads the conference averaging 4.78 digs per set and has won two Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards this season.

Last year's match between ISU and UCF was canceled due to Hurricane Milton, making this the first meeting since 2023. In 2023 the two met for the first time as conference opponents with Iowa State winning in a sweep at Hilton. The Knights lead the Big 12 in aces, averaging over two per set. Skylar English is the Big 12 ace leader at 0.93 per set. UCF is led by Matt Botsford in his first season leading the Knights and is one of three coaches new to the Big 12. Prior to UCF, Botsford led FGCU. The Cyclones met Botsford and FGCU in the 2022 NCAA Tournament First Round where Iowa State prevailed in five.

Next Up

Next week Iowa State heads to Kansas State Wednesday, Oct. 8 and continues traveling through the Sunflower State meeting No. 18 Kansas Friday, Oct. 10.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Brandt

Maya Duckworth

Alea Goolsby

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics