No. 22 Cyclone Block Leads to Win Over WVU

AMES, Iowa – No. 22 Iowa State used a stifling block to defeat West Virginia 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 24-26, 25-11) Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum. The win improved ISU to 13-4 overall on the season, 4-3 in Big 12 play. West Virginia is now 13-7 on the year, 2-5 in league play.

Iowa State held the Mountaineers to a .123 hitting percentage via 19.5 total blocks, ISU's highest total since posting 20.0 in the 2007 season opener. Grace Lazard led that effort with 11 blocks, while Avery Rhodes had eight. In attack, Alexis Conaway and Jess Schaben each had 18 kills, a career-high for Conaway. Schaben had a double-double with 16 digs.

Wednesday night's win is the 800th in Iowa State Volleyball program history. 259 of those wins have come under the guidance of head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch.

First Set: Iowa State 25 West Virginia 18
Iowa State flew out of the gates, taking seven of the first eight points with strong play across the net on offense and defense. The stats spelled out ISU's work at the net, as the Cyclones hit .429 while holding the Mountaineers to a .146 hitting clip. The ISU effort was led by four kills each from Alexis Conway and Jess Schaben, with Schaben finishing things off with a kill at 25-18.

Second Set: Iowa State 25 West Virginia 18
A 5-0 run by the Cyclones made a 5-4 West Virginia lead a 9-5 ISU advantage that would not be relinquished the rest of the set. The home team was rolling, getting up by double figures at 20-10, but WVU fought back with a 7-0 run to bring ISU back within three. However, Iowa State was able to bring the set home, as Schaben's seventh kill of the set make it 25-18 ISU.

Third Set: West Virginia 26 Iowa State 24
Again, the visiting Mountaineers had the very early advantage, but that edge was short lived as ISU went on a 6-0 run to pull ahead 15-9. The ISU defense dictated action in the early parts of the frame, recording four blocks on the set. WVU battled hard to get back in the set, eventually tying the set at 24-24 on a Morgan Montgomery kill. The Mountaineers then had a set point at 25-24 after another Montgomery kill, and extended the match with a Mia Swanigan kill at 26-24.

Fourth Set: Iowa State 25 West Virginia 11
The Cyclone block continued to pile on the pressure on the Mountaineers, as ISU got 4.5 blocks in its first nine points to get out to a 9-6 lead. Izzy Enna helped close things out for Iowa State, as she went on a 10-0 run on her serve to bring up match point at 24-11, which she finished off with an ace to give ISU the fourth 25-11.

Player of the Game
Jess Schaben. The junior was a force in all aspects of the match. Schaben led ISU with 18 kills, which she got at a .348 hitting percentage, 16 digs, six blocks and a service ace to help guide the Cyclone victory.

Up Next
No. 22 Iowa State is back at home on Saturday to host TCU on Family Weekend. First serve between the Cyclones and Horned Frogs will be at 1 p.m., with Cyclones.TV Powered by Mediacom.

Next Event

Team Stats

Alexis Conaway

Jess Schaben

Samara West

Grace Lazard

Players Mentioned

Alexis Conaway

Izzy Enna

Grace Lazard

Avery Rhodes

Jess Schaben

Players Mentioned

Alexis Conaway

Izzy Enna

Grace Lazard

Avery Rhodes

Jess Schaben

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics