LAS VEGAS – Iowa State (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) took the season-opening win over Pacific (0-1, 0-0 WCC) in five sets (25-22, 25-22, 29-31, 19-25, 15-10) to open the Rebel Challenge.
Iowa State went out strong taking a 2-0 match lead, but after a marathon of a third set the Tigers forced a five setter. The Cyclones hit at .400 in the fifth set to come away with the win.
Nayeli Gonzalez kicked off her sophomore season with a 19-kill performance, achieving the total hitting at .341. Gonzalez had a double-double with 10 digs, also putting up three blocks including two solo.
Morgan Brandt also had a double-double, the 17th of her career, with 46 assists and 10 digs. The junior also sent over six kills.
In Amiree Hendricks-Walker’s first match as a Cyclone, the redshirt junior tallied ISU’s first three points with a trio of kills on three attempts. Hendricks-Walker put up a strong debut of 12 kills with only one error (.458 hitting percentage).
Freshman Rachel Van Gorp made the start at libero, going out to a dominant performance of 17 digs.
SET ONE
Hendricks-Walker fired off the first two kills of the season to put ISU up. Pacific would tie things at 3s and go on to lead 10-5 as ISU called a timeout. Gonzalez then put down a pair of kills out of the timeout and would go on to total four hitting at .800 as the Cyclones knotted the score 17-17. The set remained close as ISU took a lead of 22-21 on a Gonzalez ace and remained with the lead to secure the set. Hendricks-Walker would nail down another pair of kills to follow, totaling five in the set at .833 hitting, as ISU took the set 25-22.
SET TWO
ISU ran ahead 5-1 to start the second on account of Gonzalez’ sixth kill but Pacific would come back to tie it at 8-8. Four more ties followed before a Gonzalez solo block and kill brought the score to 14-12, Iowa State. Pacific came within one of ISU’s lead at 19-18 and 23-22, but the Cyclones would remain ahead to seal the second 25-22.
SET THREE
Gonzalez sent over three kills in the early goings of the third as Iowa State went ahead 6-1. The Cyclones would stretch their lead to as many as six, but Pacific fought back to bring the score within one at 12-11, with ISU still ahead. Three kills by Brandt and Gonzalez then halted Pacific’s momentum, but the Tigers did not back down on their way to tying it at 17-17. Deep into the set the score again was knotted at 21s. Pacific then fought off three match points as the teams battled to extend the set. The battle continued as Pacific reached set point five times and Iowa State reached another match point, but Pacific kept the match going taking the set 31-29.
SET FOUR
After an unsuccessful Pacific challenge, Iowa State held a narrow lead of 11-10. Brandt then extended the Cyclone run to three with an ace. Hendricks-Walker totaled her 11th kill at .550 hitting, still without an error, while making the score 13-12, ISU. Pacific followed to build up a lead of 19-16, and remained with the lead to force a fifth by a set score of 25-19.
SET FIVE
Iowa State and Pacific traded points early and ISU fought to remain ahead 8-6, switching sides with the lead after a Lilly Wachholz ace. With Iowa State up 11-10, the Cyclones would not allow another Pacific point to win the match by a set score of 15-10, cementing the win after a Brandt setter kill.
UP NEXT
Iowa State continues action at the Rebel Challenge tomorrow taking on host UNLV at 6 p.m. CT.
