Hockaday Powers Cyclones Past Red Raiders

LUBBOCK, Texas – Senior Rachel Hockaday exploded for 20 kills, tying a career-high and 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season Saturday at No. 22 Iowa State (9-6, 3-2 Big 12) took down Texas Tech (11-9, 0-4 Big 12) in four sets (20-25, 25-17, 25-10, 25-16).

Hockaday hit .390 against the Red Raiders (20-4-41), marking the fourth time this season the Decatur, Ill. native has hit over .300 in a match. Hockaday also added a service aces, two assists and two block assists to her day.

Victoria Hurtt and Mackenzie Bigbee also tallied double-digit kills with 14 and 12, respectively, and Kristen Hahn posted 24 digs, the eighth time this season the junior has reached 20 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Caitlin Nolan reached double-digit dig numbers as well, with 10 digs.

The Cyclones out-blocked Texas Tech, 7-4, behind one solo block each from Bigbee and Hurtt. Jamie Straube had three block assists to go along with two each from Hockaday and Tenisha Matlock. Bigbee, Hurtt and Alison Landwehr each contributed a block assist.

The Red Raiders took the first set as outside hitter Emily Ehrle posted five kills with no errors for the home team. Matlock also had five kills in the opening set. Iowa State hit .143 in the game with nine attack errors, leading only at 1-0 before Tech took control.

It was all Iowa State in set two. The Cyclones jumped Tech for a 7-1 lead and never let up behind seven kills from Hockaday, who headed to the locker room hitting .526 after committing just one error in the first two games. 

Game three continued to go the Cyclones’ way. Hockaday again posted seven kills and the Cyclones hit .424 while grabbing three blocks. The Red Raiders failed to register a hitting percentage, recording five kills and five errors.

There was no stopping Iowa State in game four, even as the Cyclones hit just .083, because Texas Tech once again hit .000 with eight kills and eight errors. Hurtt led the Cyclones with four kills and Hahn picked up eight digs in the final set.

Ehrle was the only Red Raider to reach 10 kills against the Cyclones.

Iowa State returns home on Wednesday, taking on West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. CDT at Hilton Coliseum.