Iowa State volleyball: Cyclones defeat 22nd-ranked Kansas Jayhawks 3-2

It took five attempts, but the Iowa State women’s volleyball team finally defeated a ranked opponent this season. The 22nd-ranked Kansas Jayhawks went down in five sets, and the Cyclones have put themselves in a position to get closer to the top 25 themselves.

Image from Cyclones.com, Athletics Communications

Many sets went back and forth between the two teams. Kansas (16-5, 6-2 Big 12) took the first set 25-22, but then Iowa State (11-6, 5-2 Big 12) took the next two consecutive sets 25-21 and 25-22. The Jayhawks dominated the fourth set, winning 25-16, and then the fifth and decisive set was the most thrilling. Featuring nine tied scores and five lead changes, which were the same amounts in the second set, the Cyclones prevailed with a 15-13 score to take the match three sets to two.

Tenisha Matlock led the way with 18 kills (match-best in her career) and just three errors for an astonishing .417 attack percentage and a team high 20.5 points for Iowa State. Here is more on Matlock from Cyclones.com, who gave her the game ball.

"Middle blockers have half the time that some players do to have an impact on the match, but when Matlock was on the court, the Cyclone attack was on a different level. The senior was contributing all around the attack: on the quick-set, on the slide and even from the right-side a time or two. Most importantly, it was her kill on the overpass that ended the match in ISU’s favor."

Kristen Hahn had 35 digs and had a service ace that gave the Cyclones the third set. She now has had 57 straight matches with at least 10 digs.

The Cyclones had four votes in the AVCA poll this week, meaning that they’ll need to do a little bit more to break into the top 25 once again. If they can take advantage of a relatively easy four-game stretch, they’ll have a big matchup against Oklahoma at home on November 9th.

Iowa State will have a doubleheader of sports action this Saturday. Following the football game against Oklahoma State at Jack Trice Stadium, the Cyclones’ volleyball team will host the TCU Horned Frogs at 5:00 PM Central time at Hilton Coliseum.