Iowa State vs. Houston Primer

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State (9-12, 3-7 Big 12) next hosts Houston for the Cougars first trip to Ames in series history. The Cyclones enter the match following two road matches at No. 17 Baylor and No. 18 TCU, taking a set at Baylor and TCU to five sets. Christy Johnson-Lynch holds 206 career Big 12 victories, one off tying the third most in Big 12 coaching history.

vs. Houston (10-10, 5-5 Big 12), Wed., Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m.

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Promotions

Wednesday is the White Out match. Fans are invited to wear white, while white "Hilton is my Happy Place" shirts will be given to students. Students receive free tickets to all matches here, and pizza will be handed out to the student section during the first set.

By the Numbers

1 – Christy Johnson-Lynch is now one Big 12 win away from tying the third most in conference history (207).

2 – Pam McCune brought in her second 10-block match of the season at K-State. McCune had the first 10-block match by a Cyclone in five years vs. Illinois.

4 – Brooke Stonestreet totals four Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week career honors, becoming the fifth in program history to earn at least four. ISU holds 65, over double the amount of the next-highest total (31 by Texas and Baylor).

9 – Morgan Brandt moved into the program top 10 in career assists at No. 18 TCU, now ranking ninth with 2,489. Stonestreet also ranks ninth in career digs with 1,364, just 15 away from T-No. 8.

20 – The 2024 season marks Johnson-Lynch's 20th season leading Iowa State.

The 2024 Cyclones

Iowa State enters the Houston match following a string of matches with nationally ranked teams. Three of ISU's last four matches have been against ranked teams, and Iowa State has taken at least a set in each on the opponent's home court. The Cyclones won a set at No. 9 Kansas and No. 17 Baylor, and took No. 18 TCU to five sets.

Rachel Van Gorp picked up Big 12 Rookie of the Week Oct. 29, her first Big 12 honor. The freshman went out to her third double-double at No. 18 TCU with 10 kills and 10 digs. Van Gorp has been a star for the Cyclones beginning the season as ISU's libero and transitioning into a hitting role, totaling 248 digs, 57 kills and a team-leading 21 aces.

Johnson-Lynch continues her 20th season leading Iowa State, a program she has transformed. Johnson-Lynch holds 379 career victories with 206 of those being Big 12 wins to rank fourth in all-time conference history. Iowa State totals 10 20-win seasons under Johnson-Lynch, including the past two seasons.

The Opponent

Caitlin Nolan-Ayeni, current Houston associate head coach and former ISU All-American, will make her return to Hilton. At Iowa State, Nolan earned AVCA All-America honors and was named back-to-back Big 12 Libero of the Year in 2014 and 2015.

Houston is led by Angela Grieve with 272 kills at 3.53 per set and Barakat Rahmon with 78 total blocks this season. Kate Georgiades just picked up her third Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor and ranks second in the conference averaging 4.97 digs per set.

Iowa State and Houston will meet for the fifth time in series history, while this will be Houston's first time in Ames. Houston won the first meeting this season inside the Fertitta Center as Iowa State battled to five sets while dealing with injuries. The two sides met last season for the first time since 1983, where Iowa State won at Houston as the Cougars were ranked 21^st nationally.

Next Up

Iowa State has a bye this weekend, and will return home next Wednesday, Nov. 13 to meet Colorado for the first time since 2013. Action in Hilton Coliseum begins at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are available here.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Brandt

Pam McCune

Brooke Stonestreet

Rachel Van Gorp

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics