AMES — Iowa State finishes its quick east coast road trip with a battle against Syracuse. This is the Cyclones’ last game before conference play begins next Saturday. 

In its win against Colgate, Iowa State was without star players sophomore Nayeli Gonzalez and standout freshman Rachel Van Gorp. The Cyclones looked to redshirt sophomore Lily Wachholz, junior Maya Duckworth and redshirt sophomore Kiersten Schmitt to help shoulder the load on the front line. 

In place of Van Gorp, Iowa State also looked to the experienced senior Brooke Stonestreet, who recorded a solid 26 digs in Van Gorp’s absence.

The Cyclones will certainly need good offense on Saturday when facing a red-hot Orange team. Syracuse’s 10-0 start can be largely attributed to Ava Palm, Skylar George and Sydney Moore. Palm has recorded 123 kills at 3.73 per set, while George and Moore are recording 2.91 and 1.94 kills per set, respectively.

The Orange are currently one of 16 undefeated teams in the nation and one of just three to have only lost three sets this season. They are holding opponents to a .098 hitting percentage. 

After a rough weekend at the South Dakota Classic, two bounce-back wins will provide some much-needed momentum for Iowa State before going into Big 12 play. 

The Cyclones defense will need to play well to hold the strong front line of Syracuse. Redshirt junior Pam McCune and sophomore Amiree Hendricks-Walker have recorded 42 and 31 blocks respectively. Their defensive skills will need to be on full display.

“I think we just really need to respect everybody,” Iowa State volleyball head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “Every match is key for us and playing all these different teams, different styles of offenses and defenses, you have to be dialed in no matter what. Whether they are 6-0 or 0-6, you have to respect everybody no matter who they are.”

If the Cyclones get Gonzalez and Van Gorp back, it will be a much-needed boost against the Orange’s strong squad. Gonzalez is sitting at 3.30 kills per set, along with a .238 hitting percentage. Van Gorp has 140 digs at 3.76 per set.

Gonzalez spoke about the mindset the team should have when entering this matchup.

“I think we approach that with a clear head,” Gonzalez said. “We need to go in and play strong.”

The match between Iowa State and Syracuse will start at noon on Saturday and will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.