Wednesday, November 8
Morgantown, W.Va.
6:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
15-11, 3-9
0
vs
3
Iowa State
18-5, 8-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| West Virginia | 18 | 16 | 19 | 0 |
Photo by: Jennifer Shephard
West Virginia Stumbles vs. No. 24 Iowa State
November 08, 2017 09:06 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Unable to match Iowa State's offense, the West Virginia University volleyball team fell to the No. 24-ranked Cyclones, 3-0, Wednesday evening at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. ISU took the match in set scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-19.
"Iowa State is a really good team," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "They are a top-25 team for a reason. We want to be like them. We want to be like Penn State, Minnesota, Kansas and Texas. We want to be like all the teams that we played this season.
"We have to get better at our craft. We have to play with a lot more enthusiasm. It just seems like we are uninspired right now. We still have four more matches left. We have a long way to go. We have to get better at our skills, and we have to compete harder."
Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey led WVU with eight kills in the match, adding five digs and two service aces as well. Senior outside hitter Morgan Montgomery had seven kills, finishing with a team-best .333 on the night. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan led the blocking effort with four block attacks, while Montgomery added three.
Sophomore setter Erin Slinde dished out 22 assists, while senior libero Gianna Gotterba notched a team-high 12 digs in the match.
The Mountaineers (15-11, 3-9) posted 28 kills and five team blocks in the loss. Iowa State (18-5, 8-4) hit .289 with 41 kills and 13 team blocks in the win. Alexis Conaway and Samara West led the Cyclones offense with 10 kills apiece, while Jess Schaben had a team-high 11 digs.
Caffrey notched five kills in the first set, but the Mountaineers couldn't match a hot Iowa State offense and dropped the set 25-18. The Cyclones took a commanding lead early, using a pair of scoring streaks for a 6-2 advantage. However, West Virginia came back with a 3-0 run of its own, as Caffrey placed one through the pins to go along with a service ace before sophomore right side hitter Natania Levak found the court to bring the Mountaineers within two, down 11-9. West Virginia later called a timeout, as Iowa State took a 21-15 lead over the Mountaineers. Caffrey put down another kill out of the stoppage, as WVU capitalized on two more Cyclone attacking errors to come within three, 21-18. It was too little, too late, though, as Iowa State went on to capture the next four points for the 25-18 win and the 1-0 match lead.
Both squads exchanged points early in the second set before the Cyclones collected five points in a row for the 12-9 advantage. A kill from Swanegan halted the Cyclones run, but Iowa State did not back down, adding eight more points on the board for a 20-12 lead. Montgomery and sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Evans each added a kill later in the set, but ISU's Jess Schaben sealed the deal with a kill of her own for the 25-16 victory and the 2-0 match lead.
West Virginia battled back in the third set, as the squad capitalized on an ISU ball handling error to come within four, trailing 17-13. The Cyclones then used two straight Mountaineer attacking errors to extend their lead to six at 19-13. However, West Virginia managed to score five of the next seven points to cut its deficit to three, down 21-18. Iowa State ended up collecting back-to-back points before Evans threw down a kill, but it wasn't enough, as the Cyclones scored two in a row to claim the 25-19 win, as West Virginia fell 3-0.
Up next, West Virginia will take on Texas Tech (14-10, 3-8) on Saturday, Nov. 11, in a 1 p.m. ET league tilt. The first 500 fans through the gate on Saturday will receive a free mini volleyball. Additionally, the Mountaineers will host a free youth clinic following Saturday's match.
"They [Texas Tech] are playing well right now," Sunahara said. "We play well at home, so we just have to be prepared for when they come to town on Saturday."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"Iowa State is a really good team," said third-year coach Reed Sunahara. "They are a top-25 team for a reason. We want to be like them. We want to be like Penn State, Minnesota, Kansas and Texas. We want to be like all the teams that we played this season.
"We have to get better at our craft. We have to play with a lot more enthusiasm. It just seems like we are uninspired right now. We still have four more matches left. We have a long way to go. We have to get better at our skills, and we have to compete harder."
Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey led WVU with eight kills in the match, adding five digs and two service aces as well. Senior outside hitter Morgan Montgomery had seven kills, finishing with a team-best .333 on the night. Senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan led the blocking effort with four block attacks, while Montgomery added three.
Sophomore setter Erin Slinde dished out 22 assists, while senior libero Gianna Gotterba notched a team-high 12 digs in the match.
The Mountaineers (15-11, 3-9) posted 28 kills and five team blocks in the loss. Iowa State (18-5, 8-4) hit .289 with 41 kills and 13 team blocks in the win. Alexis Conaway and Samara West led the Cyclones offense with 10 kills apiece, while Jess Schaben had a team-high 11 digs.
Caffrey notched five kills in the first set, but the Mountaineers couldn't match a hot Iowa State offense and dropped the set 25-18. The Cyclones took a commanding lead early, using a pair of scoring streaks for a 6-2 advantage. However, West Virginia came back with a 3-0 run of its own, as Caffrey placed one through the pins to go along with a service ace before sophomore right side hitter Natania Levak found the court to bring the Mountaineers within two, down 11-9. West Virginia later called a timeout, as Iowa State took a 21-15 lead over the Mountaineers. Caffrey put down another kill out of the stoppage, as WVU capitalized on two more Cyclone attacking errors to come within three, 21-18. It was too little, too late, though, as Iowa State went on to capture the next four points for the 25-18 win and the 1-0 match lead.
Both squads exchanged points early in the second set before the Cyclones collected five points in a row for the 12-9 advantage. A kill from Swanegan halted the Cyclones run, but Iowa State did not back down, adding eight more points on the board for a 20-12 lead. Montgomery and sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Evans each added a kill later in the set, but ISU's Jess Schaben sealed the deal with a kill of her own for the 25-16 victory and the 2-0 match lead.
West Virginia battled back in the third set, as the squad capitalized on an ISU ball handling error to come within four, trailing 17-13. The Cyclones then used two straight Mountaineer attacking errors to extend their lead to six at 19-13. However, West Virginia managed to score five of the next seven points to cut its deficit to three, down 21-18. Iowa State ended up collecting back-to-back points before Evans threw down a kill, but it wasn't enough, as the Cyclones scored two in a row to claim the 25-19 win, as West Virginia fell 3-0.
Up next, West Virginia will take on Texas Tech (14-10, 3-8) on Saturday, Nov. 11, in a 1 p.m. ET league tilt. The first 500 fans through the gate on Saturday will receive a free mini volleyball. Additionally, the Mountaineers will host a free youth clinic following Saturday's match.
"They [Texas Tech] are playing well right now," Sunahara said. "We play well at home, so we just have to be prepared for when they come to town on Saturday."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
ISU
WVU
Kills
41
28
Errors
13
23
Attempts
97
101
Hitting %
.289
.050
Points
60.0
35.0
Assists
38
27
Aces
6
2
Blocks
13.0
5.0
Game Leaders
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
RS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballMB
/ VolleyballVB: BYU Cinematic Recap
Saturday, October 04
2025 Volleyball Coal Rush Uniform Reveal
Thursday, October 02
Jen Greeny | Sept. 23 | ESPN+ Halftime Interview
Tuesday, September 30
VB: Dolphin Volleyball Classic Cinematic Recap
Sunday, September 21
