The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
AMES, Iowa – At an electric Hilton Coliseum Saturday afternoon, the Iowa State volleyball team picked up its 10th consecutive win over Iowa with a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-15). The win improves Iowa State to 6-3 on the season, while Iowa falls to 8-3.
The win gives Iowa State University a commanding 7-0 lead in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The win comes on top of victories so far this season from the ISU soccer and football squads.
Ciara Capezio paced the offense with 15 kills, while Alexis Conaway put forth an outstanding line of 10 kills at a .438 hitting percentage, six digs, five block assists and an ace.
Turning Point of the Match
The result of the match being a sweep hides that for the majority of the first set it was the host Cyclones who were playing catch-up. Down 13-11, ISU took a 3-0 run via kills from Capezio and Mackenzie Bigbee with an ace in-between to take its first lead of the match at 14-13. The Hawkeyes quickly got back in front as they took advantage of a pair of ISU errors and kills from Taylin Alm and Alessandra Dietz to get back ahead 18-16.
The teams continued to trade blows until it reached 23-23, and Samara West came up with two huge plays: a block assist with Capezio to reach set point and a big kill on a slide move to clinch the first set at 25-23.
The second set was also a chance for Iowa, as the Hawkeyes did well to earn leads early on again. With the second tied 14-14, Iowa State pulled off a crucial 6-0 run aided by a trio of hitting errors from Iowa and more strong play from Capezio. With that six-point edge, ISU was able to guide home the second set with Capezio showing up again at the death to get another kill and give ISU a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
Cyclone Match Ball Goes to…
Ciara Capezio and Alexis Conaway. The Cyclone duo came into the match with varying storylines, but both combined strongly to help earn Iowa State the sweep.
In the Cyclones’ last match against No. 19 Minnesota, Capezio had one of the worst matches of her career: no kills and four attack errors on five attempts that saw her only play one set. The Hilton Coliseum patrons saw a different No. 11 for Iowa State on Saturday. Capezio showed the desire to lead the offense from the get go. She brilliantly mixed her offense up, using both power and finesse to get her kills. She finished with 15 kills, six digs, two assists, a solo block, a block assist and a service ace.
Conaway came into Saturday’s match as one of the hottest hitters in the country. An Iowa in her first Cy-Hawk Series match, she once again showed why has quickly established herself as a threat for the Cyclones. Conaway was everywhere as she finished the match with 10 kills at a .438 hitting percentage, a career-high six digs, five block assists and an ace.
Cyclone Notes
*Iowa State picked up its 10th-consecutive win over Iowa. The Cyclones last lost to Iowa in 1997.
*ISU’s win helped extend Iowa State’s lead in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series to 7-0.
*Natalie Vondrak came off the bench to contribute a season-high five kills.
*Alexis Conaway had her second career match with at least 10 kills.
*Conaway also had her sixth-consecutive match with at least 5.0 total blocks.
*Caitlin Nolan finished with 14 digs, her fifth-straight match with at least 10 digs.
On Deck
Iowa State begins a three-match road swing in Cedar Falls as Iowa State takes on UNI Wednesday night at 7 p.m. inside the McLeod Center. The match will be televised by the following stations within the state of Iowa: Cedar Falls Utilities Ch. 15, KCRG Ch. 9.2, WOI Ch. 5.2, KCAU Ch. 9.2
