KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman right side hitter Mackenzie Bigbee had a team-high 11 kills, along with senior Rachel Hockaday, and hit .550 on Friday night as the No. 10 Cyclones (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) downed the Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1, 0-0 Big East) in straight sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-20).
Playing in her first collegiate match, Bigbee committed no errors in 20 attack attempts and collected three digs to help the Cyclones’ cause. Setter Alison Landwehr posted 39 assists and Kristen Hahn led the squad with 17 digs.
Hockaday added 10 digs to her double-double effort.
Junior middle blocker Tenisha Matlock had a big opening night for Iowa State, hitting .571 (8-0-14) with a block assist on defense.
Cincinnati was led by outside hitter Jordanne Scott who claimed 17 kills and grabbed seven digs on the night. Scott also had seven attack errors and two service errors.
The first set was strewn with errors from both teams as the Cyclones came from behind to win after trailing by as many as seven. The Cyclones hit just .200 in the first set, besting Cincinnati, who hit .146. Scott and Me’Ashah Nicholson led all players with five kills apiece in the set.
Iowa State’s offense broke out for a .384 clip in the second set, led by four kills each from Hockaday and Matlock. Through two sets, Matlock hit .636, without an error in 11 attack attempts.
The Cyclone offense stayed hot in the final set, with just four attack errors and a .333 hitting percentage, and the defense stood strong, holding Cincinnati to just .086 hitting, 11 kills and eight errors.
On Saturday, Iowa State will face two top-15 teams in No. 12 Florida State and No. 15 Tennessee. The Cyclones and Seminoles will take the court at 11 a.m. with the match against the Lady Vols beginning at 6:30 p.m. Both times central.
