Mastodons Take No. 18 Iowa State to Five Sets in NCAA Tournament

Thursday, November 29

Ames, Iowa

8:30 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

25-7 (12-4Summit)

Iowa State

21-7 (13-3Big 12)

IPFW

Iowa State

Mastodons Take No. 18 Iowa State to Five Sets in NCAA Tournament

11/30/2012 1:01:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score

AMES, Iowa – The IPFW women's volleyball team ended the 2012 season with a 3-2 loss to No. 18 Iowa State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament (11-25, 25-23, 25-22, 13-25, 7-15). The Mastodons end the year as the Summit League Champions with an overall record of 25-7.

The atmosphere inside the Hilton Coliseum on Thursday night was electric as the Iowa State Cyclones hosted the opening round match of the NCAA Tournament in front of 2,092 cheering fans. Iowa State used that energy to win the first set 25-11, but the Mastodons calmed down soon after and put the pressure on the Cyclones by winning sets two and three 25-23 and 25-22. Iowa State stayed alive by pulling out a 25-13 win in the fourth set and the upset-minded Mastodons would end the year after a 15-7 setback in the final set of the game.

IPFW was trying to upset a seeded team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament which is a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2010 season. It happened twice that year which is rare because it never happened from 2002-2009. The 'Dons were up to the challenge as they not only went all five sets with a Big 12 opponent, but they were also forced to play in a hostile environment.

Megan Steenhuysen ended a brilliant four-year career at IPFW with a double-double performance against Iowa State. Steenhuysen recorded 37 assists and 13 digs on the night while fellow senior Tessa McGill led the team with 20 digs. McGill became the all-time leader at IPFW for most digs in a single-season, ending the year with 755.

The trio of Jessie Manwaring, Hailie Ripley, and Emily Spencer provided IPFW with plenty of offense as each player ended the match with a double figure kill total. Spencer led the team with 13 kills and two service aces and Ripley was right there with 10 kills and five blocks. Manwaring ended the match with 11 kills which included the game-winner in set two as IPFW won a set for the first time in the NCAA Tournament.

Freshman Sarah Heckman gave IPFW a lift with five kills, two blocks, and a dig and senior Haley Emenhiser produced four kills for the 'Dons.

Iowa State was led by Alison Landwehr who recorded a match-high 56 assists to go along with 13 digs. Jamie Straube impacted the match with 16 kills and Kristen Hahn was key on the defensive end leading her team with 24 digs.

Iowa State used an eight-point run to push their lead from 6-5 to 14-5 in the first set. Andie Malloy led the charge for the Cyclones by recording four kills during that stretch. Hailie Ripley broke the scoring drought for IPFW, but a five-point run by Iowa State towards the end of the match gave the Cyclones a 23-10 lead which ended in a 25-11 win. Ripley and Jessie Manwaring each recorded three kills in the opening set. Emily Spencer added two.

The Mastodons were able to tie the match at 1-1 after defeating Iowa State 25-23 in the second set. IPFW dominated the game early as multiple scoring runs gave them a 21-12 advantage. A service error broke up the streak and Iowa State turned the momentum by recording a service ace immediately after the error. The Cyclones tightened up their defense and got within three points at 22-19 after an IPFW attack error. Moments later the lead slipped to two points and an IPFW attack error made things very interesting as Iowa State climbed all the way back to get within one point at 24-23. IPFW recorded the 25-23 win on a kill from Manwaring in the middle of the court to tie the match at 1-1.

IPFW kept the momentum by winning set three 25-22. Arguably the most entertaining set of the night, set three was close the entire way. IPFW grabbed a three point lead at 11-8 and then expanded that margin to 19-15 which forced Iowa State to take their second timeout of the set. The 'Dons held a four-point lead at 24-20, but the Cyclones wouldn't go away as they got back within two points at 22-24. A service error from Andie Malloy put IPFW in the driver's seat as they took a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set.

The Cyclones made a statement in the fourth set and carried that momentum over to the fifth to earn the victory. Kelley Hartley Hutton tried to kill the momentum by using a timeout after trailing 11-7 in set four. She used her second timeout as Iowa State expanded the lead to 16-8. The 'Dons never got on track after facing an eight-point deficit and Iowa State evened the match at 2-2 with a 25-13 win. The fifth set close until Iowa State used a four-point scoring streak to open up an 8-3 lead. After switching sides IPFW scored back-to-back points, but Victoria Hurtt and Iowa State proved to be too much in the end as the Cyclones move on to face North Carolina in round two tomorrow.

~ Feel the Rumble ~