ISU Defeats UCF 3-2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
UCF	17	25	25	24	13	2
Iowa St.	25	18	19	26	15	3

UCF

Iowa St.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (8-5, 2-0 Big 12) remained unbeaten in conference play as ISU won the five-setter against UCF (8-4, 0-2 Big 12). Set scores on the night were 25-17, 18-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-13.

Iowa State won the opener, but dropped the next two sets. With UCF at match point in the fourth set, ISU did not let up coming back to win the set and force a fifth. A 5-0 run in the fifth led the Cyclones to take the lead and not look back on the way to the win.

Nayeli Ti'a had a 20-kill match to lead the Cyclones, her second this season. Nayeli Gonzalez hit 15, while Alea Goolsby had a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs.

After 30 digs last match, Rachel Van Gorp was her usual self and had her third-straight 20-plus dig match totaling 23 tonight.

SET ONE

Iowa State led 6-1 to start aided by the Cyclones putting up two blocks while Gonzalez served back-to-back-aces. A kill from freshman Macie Lupkes brought the Cyclones to the media timeout ahead 15-11, and the Cyclones also won the race to 20 at 20-16. Ti'a powered three-straight kills over to make it to set point, and following a UCF attack error the Cyclone won the opener 25-17.

SET TWO

ISU won its second challenge of the match after a touch call to come within two of UCF's slight lead at 4-2. A long rally broke out with the Knight's winning the point to make it a 4-0 run and go up 9-5, but a kill by Goolsby halted UCF's scoring spree. Goolsby pulled the Cyclones within two (10-8) as the hitter struck back an over pass immediately to the ground while the battle for the lead continued. ISU kept it within two up to a score of 14-12, but from there UCF took control of the set winning it 25-18.

SET THREE
Ti'a and Gonzalez had back-to-back kills to tie things early at 3s and each collect their ninth kill. Following ISU's third successful challenge, the score was reversed to from 7-7 to 8-6, ISU. Kills from D'Aaliyah Kemp and Goolsby followed to extend the Cyclones run to four and make it 10-6. UCF would fight back to flip the lead at 14-13, and continued hitting hot at an efficiency of .500 as the scoreboard was brought to 21-15 to cause an ISU timeout. The Knights remained hitting at .500 to win the set 25-19.

SET FOUR

After a Cyclone block, kill and ace, ISU led 4-2 but UCF kept with the momentum to take back the lead. After UCF went ahead 9-6, Iowa State called a timeout. A UCF service error halted its run at 4-0 out of the break, but three Knight blocks came after. The Cyclones fought back, and Ti'a had four kills late in the set as ISU tied it 18-18. UCF then took off on a run of five featuring three-straight aces to near match point. ISU then took the next four points to come within a point at 23-22, but UCF reached match point next. The Cyclones did not give up as Pam McCune and Goolsby tied it back up at 24s with kills, and after another McCune kill ISU reached set point. The set comeback was complete after a UCF attack error as ISU forced a fifth.

SET FIVE
Two Gonzalez kills put ISU up 2-1 to start, and the teams tied each other six times up to a score at 8-8. A kill by Gonzalez and a block by Gonzalez and McCune turned the volume up at Hilton and cause a UCF timeout. Hilton remained loud as Ti'a and McCune put up another wall and keep ISU up at 12-8. UCF came within one at 12-11, 13-12 and 14-13, but ISU secured the win at 15-13 after a Knight service error.

Next up

Iowa State travels to meet Arizona Oct. 2 in Tucson and Arizona State Oct. 4 in Tempe.

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Players Mentioned

Nayeli Gonzalez

Alea Goolsby

D'Aaliyah Kemp

Macie Lupkes

Pam McCune

Nayeli Ti'a

Rachel Van Gorp

Nayeli Ti'a

Nayeli Gonzalez

Alea Goolsby

Pam McCune

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