By Shane Lucas

ISU volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch was named National Coach of the Year by Asics and Volleyball Magazine Tuesday morning.

Johnson-Lynch led the Cyclones to a school record 27-5 overall record that included 17 Big 12 wins that resulted in a second-place conference finish. The team also advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row.

Now 105-58 in five seasons with Iowa State, Johnson-Lynch is the mastermind behind of the biggest program turnarounds in NCAA volleyball history.

In addition to Johnson-Lynch, senior setter Kaylee Manns and junior libero Ashley Mass were also honored. Manns received first-team All-American honors from the magazine while Mass was named to the second team.

Some highlights from the 2009 season include Iowa State’s first-ever win against Nebraska on Oct. 21 and an upset of second-ranked Texas on Nov. 4, which was the Longhorns’ only regular season loss.

By Kayci Woodley

Junior libero Ashley Mass was selected as a first team All-American on Wednesday, Dec. 16 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Mass is the first libero since 2004 to be a first-team member and the first Cyclone volleyball player in history to be on the first team list.

Mass compiled 5.49 digs per set this season and was named the 2009 Big 12 Libero of the Year. The Muskego, Wis., native led the conference after her season performance in digs per set, the next closest player being Kayla Banwarth of Nebraska, at 4.96 digs per set.

Currently Mass is 10th in the nation in in digs per set.

Senior setter Kaylee Manns earned a spot on the AVCA All-American Second Team, while junior outside hitter Victoria Henson was honored on the Third Team.

By Kayci Woodley

After posting 13 kills in Iowa State’s loss to Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 11 in the Omaha Regional, junior outside hitter Victoria Henson was selected for the Omaha Regional All-Tournament Team.

Henson seemed to be the only Cyclone attacker on tap, as she compiled a .321 hitting percentage on the night and chipped in three assists along with seven digs in the three-set match.

Last season Henson was named to the Austin Regional All-Tournament team.

By Shane Lucas

Nebraska takes the match 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-21) and advances to play Texas tomorrow night.

3rd Set

A late run kept the Cyclones alive before a Jamie Straube service error gave the Huskers game point.

2nd Set

Nebraska takes the second set 25-19 and leads 2-0 going into the break. The Cyclones showed signs of life in the middle of the set, ripping off a 5-0 run take take a 17-16 lead. However, the Huskers fought right back with a 10-2 run down the stretch.

The Cyclones are hitting .026 to Nebraska’s .357 and the Huskers hold advantages of 34-29 in digs and 7-2 in blocks.

Henson still leads the Cyclones with eight kills while Lindsey Licht has nine for the Huskers.

1st Set

It’s all Huskers so far as they take the first set 25-11. A 7-0 run in the middle of the set put Nebraska firmly in control.

The Cyclones hit .056 to Nebraska’s .441. Nebraska holds a 3-2 advantage at the net, but is forcing uncharacteristically wild shots from the Iowa State outsides. The Huskers also hold a 17-13 lead in digs.

Lindsey Licht recorded six kills to lead the Huskers in the set while Victoria Henson is leading the Cyclones with four.

By Kayci Woodley

In her fifth year as head coach for the Cyclones, Johnson-Lynch was named American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Central Region Coach of the Year. Her record-setting season also earned her the first Central Region Coach of the Year award of her career.
Johnson-Lynch led Iowa State to a 27-4 overall record this season, the best in school history. The 17 victories the Cyclones tallied in conference play was also an Iowa State record. Iowa State’s success this year also earned Johnson-Lynch the title of Big 12 Coach of the Year. Iowa State is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation and was chosen as the No.7 seed in the NCAA tournament this year. Johnson-Lynch’s success with the Cyclones this season earned Iowa State the ability to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. Even after sweeping through the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament this season, Johnson-Lynch was still ready to see improvement from her team.
“I continue to believe and know we can continue to do better and will do better,” Johnson-Lynch said following the victory over Wichita State.
The Cyclones swept George Mason in the first round of the tournament and turned around to beat Wichita State in three, and head to the Sweet Sixteen for the third year in a row. Advancing to regional play for the third consecutive year puts the Cyclones as one of only two other teams in the Big 12 to have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for three straight seasons.
Home attendance this season, and over the past five seasons with Johnson-Lynch has increased dramatically. This year the Cyclones broke the record for largest attendance at a college volleyball game in the state of Iowa with over 10,000 fans packed in Hilton Coliseum against Nebraska. Even after being swept by the Cornhuskers, fans applauded the effort of Johnson-Lynch and her Cyclones after their post-game huddle.
Johnson-Lynch has molded numerous players on the Cyclone roster into All-Big 12 First Team member, and even All-Americans. Junior libero Ashley Mass has been recognized consistently throughout the season as a Defensive Player of the Week and was chosen as the Big 12’s Libero of the Year both in 2008 and 2009. What Johnson-Lynch has done in her time at Iowa State with current senior setter Kaylee Manns is an accomplishment in itself. When Manns first entered into the Cyclone family, she may have been more of an athlete with natural talent than a Division I setter. Now, Manns is recognized as one of the nation’s top setters and was an AVCA Second-Team All-American selection in 2008.

By Kayci Woodley

For the second year in a row, three Cyclone volleyball players have been selected for the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-Central Region team. Junior outside hitter Victoria Henson, senior setter Kaylee Manns and junior libero Ashley Mass have been selected for numerous awards this season and this selection in particular puts them in consideration for All-American accolades.

Henson used the 2009 season to show her all-around skills for Iowa State. A dominating outside hitter last year, Henson has continued that offensive authority this year but has become a key player in the back court for the Cyclone defense. A team coach Christy Johnson-Lynch likes to say is ‘known for their defense’ now uses Henson to help the defensive vacuums in the back.

A Hoover in the back, Mass has been a consistent libero all three years at Iowa State. The Muskego, Wis., native became the fastest player in Iowa State history to reach 1,000 digs last year in her sophomore season and was named 2008, and 2009 Big 12 Libero of the Year. Having Mass as Iowa State’s defensive specialist has allowed the Cyclones to become the defensive-centered team Johnson-Lynch has always striven for. Mass never seems to be rattled or flustered on the court, but instead consistently posts double-digit numbers in digs game after game for the Cyclones.

Manns’ dedication and work ethic are in part, what allowed her to become an All-Central Region member as well as the Big 12’s leader in assists. With Manns leading the Cyclone squad the last four years, Iowa State has improved immensely as a unit, right alongside Manns’ individual improvements. Johnson-Lynch refers to Manns as ‘the perfect setter at the perfect time for Iowa State’, and that’s just what she has been as she led her team to the Elite Eight last year and fueled the Iowa State victories over Big 12 rivals Texas and Nebraska this season.

By Kayci Woodley

                                                                   Junior libero Ashley Mass

Each week College Volleyball Update choses a national player of the week, along with 11 top performers. This week, CVU.com chose Iowa State libero Ashley Mass as a top performer after her efforts against George Mason and Wichita State last week in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament at Hilton Coliseum.

The junior averaged six digs per set in the Cyclones’ two victories. Against the Shockers, Mass also posted three assists. The Muskego, Wis., native chipped in a service ace and four assists for Iowa State against George Mason in round one of the tournament last Friday.

The Cyclones travel to Omaha on Friday night for the first game of the Omaha Regional against the No. 10 seed Cornhuskers. Iowa State and Nebraska split earlier in the season, and Mass’ 25 digs against the Huskers in Lincoln helped slow down the Nebraska offense in the Cyclones’ five-set victory to hand Iowa State its first-ever win over the Huskers in the history of the series. 

Against Nebraska at home, in front of a Hilton Coliseum crowd of over 10,000, Mass still was not flawed as she still compiled 18 digs in the three set game.

By Jordan Wickstrom

Iowa State Sweeps Wichita State, Moves to Sweet 16

Iowa State will travel to Omaha to face Big 12 rival Nebraska after a 3-0 sweep of Wichita State.

The Cyclones were led by outside hitters Victoria Henson and Rachel Hockaday. Henson led the Cyclones with 15 kills while Hockaday had 12.

As a team Iowa State hit .262 and held the Shockers to .112.

Attendance for Saturday’s match was 2728.

Set Three:

The Cyclones clinched their third straight appearance in the Sweet 16 off of Hockaday’s 12th kill of the night.

A net violation by the Shockers allowed the Cyclones to grab their biggest lead of the set at 20-13.

Trailing 11-5, Wichita State calls a timeout.

Already ahead 2-0, the Cyclones open up the third set with hopes of making their third straight Sweet 16 appearance.

At the Break:

Wichita State has not gone quietly through two sets, barely losing by scores of 27-25 and 25-21.

Iowa State has been led by its outside hitters Henson and Hockaday. The duo has combined for 23 kills and is hitting a combined .294.

Senior setter Kaylee Manns has 28 assists while middle blockers Debbie Stadick and Jamie Straube both have three blocking assists.

Set Two:

An attacking error by senior middle blocker Katie Niggemeyer gave the Cyclones the second set and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Iowa State calls a timeout ahead 23-21. For the second straight set, the Cyclones are having trouble closing a set out against the Shockers.

Once again, the Shockers have climbed back into this game, trailing only 19-17.

Wichita State calls another timeout, trailing 12-5.

An error by Wichita State extended Iowa State’s lead to 9-4. Henson has once again started off strong accounting for four of Iowa State’s five kills in the second set.

Set One:

Trailing 24-23, the Cyclones used three more kills from Henson to rally past the Shockers. Hockaday closed out the first set with her fifth kill and Iowa State took 1-0 lead. Henson ended the first set with nine kills on 18 attempts.

With the score tied at 22, coach Christy Johnson-Lynch uses another timeout.

The Shockers came out of their second timeout with authority, scoring four straight points and taking a 17-16 lead, forcing the Cyclones to take a timeout. Wichita State got kills from junior middle blocker Sarah McGee and a service ace from sophomore setter Mary Elizabeth Hooper.

Wichita State took its second timeout trailing Iowa State 16-13. Henson is off to a strong start, with six kills in the first set.

Wichita State took a strong 8-4 lead at the beginning of the first set before Iowa State went on a 6-1 run and regained a 10-9 lead. Outside hitters Victoria Henson and Rachel Hockaday got the scoring started off early combining for five kills.

With a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, Iowa State hosted Wichita State Saturday night. Whoever wins the match will go on to face Nebraska in Omaha next weekend.

For more information on the 2009 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament go to http://www.ncaa.com.

By Kayci Woodley

After beating the Patriots 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-19) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday night at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones will face Wichita State. The winner of tonight’s matchup will advance to the Omaha Regional.

While coach Christy Johnson-Lynch called the Cyclones’ play ‘average’ in the press conference following the match, head coach Chris Lamb said his team had a ‘great game.’

What went wrong for LSU

Service errors killed LSU in its loss to the Shockers, but along with that Wichita State was able to execute its game plan very well, making it tough on the Billikens to convert offensively.

“I think we knew what they were going to do, I think they just executed so well tonight, so I just have to say congratulations to them. They made some defensive plays that were incredible and their blocking was on, and I think they executed their game plan,” said SLU coach Anne Kordes.

Hoping to Shock Iowa State

The Shockers will enter ‘fired up’ for Saturday night’s game against the Cyclones said LSU senior outside hitter Emily Stockman, and Iowa State will need to pick up its game in order to advance in the tournament.

“I think everyone is really fired up right now. We have a really good shot tomorrow night. Iowa State is a great team and we’ve always ended up being the second-, third-place team. It’s firing everyone up and we’re super excited to get past the first round to take the fire and energy we had tonight into tomorrow,” Stockman said.

 Johnson-Lynch noted following the George Mason game that she felt her team was ready for the Patriots, and that looking too far ahead to the next round would have cost them.

“It’s very easy to get upset in the NCAA tournament and particularly if you look forward too much to the next match you could get bit,” Johnson-Lynch said.

And the Shockers will come in ready to bite. Iowa State struggled against the George Mason defense and Wichita State could give Iowa State a run for its money if it blocks and picks up balls the way the Patriots did.

Bringing in a crowd

Iowa State hosted just over 2,500 fans on Friday night which is under the average attendance the Cyclones have seen this season. Luckily for Iowa State, that crowd may have been one of the largest George Mason has ever seen.

“It was great to not have that last senior night be my last night at Hilton. It was awesome. There were a ton of fans out there and I hope it’s the same [Saturday] night because we are going to need it,” said senior setter Kaylee Manns.