Iowa State volleyball goes 2-1 at Cyclone Invitational
· Yahoo Sports
The Iowa State volleyball team experienced a rollercoaster of emotions during its season-opening tournament at Hilton Coliseum, finishing the three-day event with a pair of wins.
After kicking off the campaign with a dominant sweep of Loyola Chicago on Friday, the Cyclones stumbled in straight sets against Georgia Tech on Saturday, before bouncing back Sunday with a thrilling, marathon four-set victory over in-state rival the University of Northern Iowa.
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The Cyclones opened their 2026 campaign in style on Friday evening, dispatching Loyola Chicago in a swift 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-20, 25-22) in front of 2,216 fans.
Iowa State’s offense was highly efficient, registering a .277 hitting percentage with 40 kills and only 14 attack errors on 94 attempts. Nayeli Ti’a paced the Cyclones with a match-high 10 kills while hitting .333 and adding nine digs. Lilly Wachholz was equally effective, contributing nine kills on .300 hitting alongside five block assists. The Cyclones’ defense, anchored by Rachel Van Gorp’s 13 digs and Daaliyah Kemp’s six total blocks (one solo, five assists), held the Ramblers to a meager .117 hitting percentage. Setter Ava Martin orchestrated the Iowa State offense beautifully, recording 33 assists, four digs, and two service aces.
Loyola Chicago (0-1) struggled to find its footing offensively, committing 18 errors on 94 total attacks. Leyna Nguyen led the Ramblers with nine kills but was plagued by five errors. Mallory Bohl was a bright spot for Loyola, slamming seven kills with just one error for an impressive .462 hitting clip. Setter Emma Henry dished out 13 assists in two sets of action, while Jae Fitting anchored the Ramblers’ back row with nine digs.
On Saturday, the Cyclones faced a tougher challenge in Georgia Tech and were swept on their home court, falling 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17) before a crowd of 2,603.
The Yellow Jackets (2-0) showcased superior defensive pressure and offensive efficiency, hitting .229 as a team with 40 kills and 16 errors. Laura Perugini Bieleski was unstoppable for Georgia Tech, racking up 15 kills on a stellar .452 hitting percentage, while also adding six digs and two blocks. Alida Bennour added eight kills and two service aces, while Zoe Humphrey controlled the net with seven kills and five block assists. Heloise Soares guided the Yellow Jacket attack with 32 assists and eight digs, while libero Mana Kaneko tallied 11 digs.
Iowa State (1-1) was plagued by errors, hitting a dismal .093 as a team with 33 kills and 23 errors on 108 attempts. Nayeli Ti’a was the lone Cyclone to reach double-digit kills with 12, but she committed seven errors on 32 swings. Daaliyah Kemp had six kills on .385 hitting, and Macie Lupkes added four kills with a highly efficient .667 percentage. Ava Martin finished with 28 assists and five digs, while Rachel Van Gorp collected 11 digs.
The Cyclones closed out the tournament on Sunday with a classic battle against UNI, emerging victorious 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 21-25, 36-34) in front of an energetic crowd of 3,207.
After cruising through the first two sets, the Cyclones dropped the third and were pushed to the absolute limit in an epic fourth set. The marathon frame featured 20 tie scores and seven lead changes before Iowa State finally secured the match with an extraordinary 36-34 set victory.
Iowa State’s offense was firing on all cylinders, hitting .324 as a team with 66 kills on 142 total attacks. Nayeli Gonzalez was sensational in her season debut, carrying the Cyclones with 26 kills on a blistering .408 hitting clip, while adding eight digs and three block assists. Nayeli Ti’a delivered another powerhouse performance, registering 22 kills on .349 hitting with two aces.
Ava Martin posted a stellar double-double, dishing out a match-high 54 assists and digging up 10 balls. Rachel Van Gorp was a defensive wall, compiling a weekend-high 27 digs and adding two service aces. At the net, Lilly Wachholz added seven kills and five blocks, while Macie Lupkes led the blocking effort with seven block assists.
UNI (1-2) put up a fierce fight, led by an extraordinary performance from Cassidy Hartman. Hartman carried the Panthers with a match-high 27 kills on 69 swings, adding 10 digs and two service aces for a total of 30 points. Isabelle Elliott added eight kills, and Claire Munch chipped in seven. Setter Reese Booth finished with a double-double, registering 37 assists and 11 digs, while Jadyn Petersen led the Panthers’ defense with 18 digs.
Iowa State Volleyball Results /* ========================================= PAGE ========================================= */ * { box-sizing: border-box; } body { margin: 0; padding: 30px 15px; background: #E9EDF2; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } /* ========================================= SCOREBOARD ========================================= */ .volleyball-scoreboard { max-width: 750px; margin: 0 auto 30px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 16px; background: #101318; color: white; box-shadow: 0 8px 25px rgba(0,0,0,.20); } /* ========================================= HEADER ========================================= */ .score-header { padding: 18px; text-align: center; background: #191D23; border-bottom: 1px solid #30343B; } .final-label { display: inline-block; padding: 5px 14px; border-radius: 20px; background: #C8102E; color: white; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 900; letter-spacing: 1.2px; } .sport-name { margin-top: 9px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 900; letter-spacing: 1px; } /* ========================================= TEAMS ========================================= */ .teams { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 70px 1fr; min-height: 245px; } .team { position: relative; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; padding: 25px 15px; text-align: center; } /* ========================================= LOGOS ========================================= */ .team-logo { width: 80px; height: 80px; margin-bottom: 12px; object-fit: contain; padding: 6px; border-radius: 50%; background: rgba(255,255,255,.96); } /* ========================================= TEAM NAMES ========================================= */ .team-name { max-width: 95%; font-size: 19px; font-weight: 900; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: .5px; } /* ========================================= MATCH SCORE ========================================= */ .match-wins { margin-top: 7px; font-size: 64px; font-weight: 900; line-height: 1; } /* ========================================= WINNER ========================================= */ .winner::after { content: "WINNER"; position: absolute; top: 12px; right: 12px; padding: 4px 7px; border-radius: 4px; background: rgba(255,255,255,.22); color: white; font-size: 9px; font-weight: 900; letter-spacing: 1px; } .loser { opacity: .87; } /* ========================================= VS ========================================= */ .versus { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; background: #0B0D10; color: #8B929C; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 900; } /* ========================================= SET RESULTS ========================================= */ .set-section { padding: 18px; background: #101318; } .section-title { margin-bottom: 12px; color: #9DA3AB; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 900; letter-spacing: 1px; } .team-column-header, .set-row { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 110px 1fr 1fr; } .team-column-header { min-height: 35px; color: #858C96; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 900; text-transform: uppercase; } .team-column-header div { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; padding: 0 5px; text-align: center; } .set-row { min-height: 50px; border-bottom: 1px solid #30343B; } .set-row:last-child { border-bottom: none; } .set-name { display: flex; align-items: center; padding-left: 5px; color: #858C96; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 900; } .set-score { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 900; } .set-winner { background: rgba(255,255,255,.12); } .set-loser { color: #858C96; } /* ========================================= FIFTH SET ========================================= */ .deciding-set { background: rgba(255,255,255,.04); } .deciding-label { display: block; margin-top: 2px; color: #FF8533; font-size: 8px; font-weight: 900; letter-spacing: .5px; } /* ========================================= FOOTER ========================================= */ .score-footer { padding: 15px; text-align: center; background: #0B0D10; color: #B8BEC6; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; } /* ========================================= MOBILE ========================================= */ @media (max-width: 500px) { body { padding: 15px 8px; } .teams { grid-template-columns: 1fr 50px 1fr; min-height: 210px; } .team-logo { width: 60px; height: 60px; } .team-name { font-size: 14px; } .match-wins { font-size: 48px; } .team-column-header, .set-row { grid-template-columns: 75px 1fr 1fr; } } /* ===================================================== SCOREBOARD GENERATOR ===================================================== */ const scoreboards = document.querySelectorAll( ".volleyball-scoreboard" ); scoreboards.forEach(function(board) { /* =================================================== GET DATA FROM HTML =================================================== */ const homeTeam = board.dataset.home; const homeColor = board.dataset.homeColor; const homeLogo = board.dataset.homeLogo; const opponentTeam = board.dataset.opponent; const opponentColor = board.dataset.opponentColor; const opponentLogo = board.dataset.opponentLogo; /* =================================================== CONVERT SET SCORES =================================================== */ const sets = board.dataset.sets .split(",") .map(function(set) { return set .split("-") .map(Number); }); /* =================================================== CALCULATE MATCH SCORE =================================================== */ let homeWins = 0; let opponentWins = 0; sets.forEach(function(set) { if (set[0] > set[1]) { homeWins++; } else if (set[1] > set[0]) { opponentWins++; } }); /* =================================================== DETERMINE WINNER =================================================== */ const homeWon = homeWins > opponentWins; const opponentWon = opponentWins > homeWins; /* =================================================== BUILD SET RESULTS =================================================== */ let setRows = ""; sets.forEach(function(set, index) { const homeScore = set[0]; const opponentScore = set[1]; const homeWonSet = homeScore > opponentScore; const opponentWonSet = opponentScore > homeScore; const setNumber = index + 1; let setLabel = "SET " + setNumber; /* Fifth set */ if ( sets.length === 5 && setNumber === 5 ) { setLabel += '' + 'DECIDING SET' + ''; } let rowClass = "set-row"; if ( sets.length === 5 && setNumber === 5 ) { rowClass += " deciding-set"; } setRows += ` ${setLabel} ${homeScore} ${opponentScore} `; }); /* =================================================== BUILD COMPLETE SCOREBOARD =================================================== */ board.innerHTML = ` FINAL VOLLEYBALL ${homeTeam} ${homeWins} VS ${opponentTeam} ${opponentWins} SET RESULTS ${homeTeam} ${opponentTeam} ${setRows} ${homeWon ? homeTeam : opponentTeam } wins the match, ${Math.max( homeWins, opponentWins )} – ${Math.min( homeWins, opponentWins )} `; /* =================================================== LOGO ERROR HANDLING If a logo file is missing, hide the broken image rather than showing a broken-image icon. =================================================== */ const logos = board.querySelectorAll(".team-logo"); logos.forEach(function(logo) { logo.onerror = function() { logo.style.display = "none"; }; }); }); “`