Iowa State fell to undefeated Syracuse in five sets (24-26, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 10-15). The Orange flexed their muscles down the stretch and it was too much for the Cyclones to handle.
Syracuse players Ava Palm and Anastasiia Nikolnikova were a problem for Iowa State, as expected. Palm recorded 16 kills at a .267 hitting percentage and Nikolnikova slammed 13 kills at a .400 hitting percentage.
The Cyclones were without sophomore Nayeli Gonzalez and freshman Rachel Van Gorp once again, but multiple players stepped up in their place to give them a fighting chance.
Lily Wachholz’s Career Night
Iowa State needed someone to step up in the place of Gonzalez, and they got that from redshirt sophomore Lily Wachholz. Wachholz recorded a career-high 21 kills at a dominant .395 hitting percentage. It was the first 20-kill match of her career.
Wachholz and junior Maya Duckworth combined for 32 kills to help steady the Cyclones’ offense.
Brooke Stonestreet comes through as libero
Iowa State called for anyone to come through in Van Gorp’s absence and senior Brooke Stonestreet answered. She responded with a stellar 27 digs.
It was her 20th career 20-plus dig match and her second in a row. She recorded her first-career double-double as added 10 assists, also serving two aces.
Duckworth was on both ends as she recorded 11 digs to help the Cyclones on the defensive end. Sophomore Pam McCune had seven blocks to try and slow the strong Syracuse attack.
Going into Big 12 play on a high note
Even though Iowa State has not played up to its standards over the past week and a half, taking an undefeated Orange team to set five will certainly boost team morale heading into Big 12 play.
The Big 12 has a plethora of talent waiting to face the Cyclones. Five teams in the league have one loss or less on the season, with Arizona left as the lone undefeated team.
Iowa State will need to be at its best going into conference play and hopefully will get some much-needed reinforcements on both offense and defense.
The Cyclones will face West Virginia on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum to open Big 12 play. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
