MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team welcomes Big 12 foe Iowa State to the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 5, in an 11 a.m. ET tilt.
 
In honor of Homecoming weekend, the Mountaineers will recognize several former student-athletes between sets two and three on Saturday. Admission is free, and the first 500 fans through the gate will receive a 'Beat Texas' t-shirt to wear at the WVU football game against Texas, which is set for 3:30 p.m. Mountaineer fans also will receive an opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the WVU football game during the match.
 
Additionally, parking is free, and fans are encouraged to park near the Gold Gate.
 
"It's exciting to have former players come back," fifth-year coach Reed Sunahara said. "They can see what they have built along the way, and they can also see what we have now, so it's always nice having everyone back in town. We're excited for the game on Saturday, and we're also excited for the football game that afternoon."
 
West Virginia (8-6, 0-2) and Iowa State (10-4, 1-1), the 2018 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) champions, will meet for the 18th time overall on Saturday and the 15th time in league play since WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012. ISU owns a 16-1 all-time series advantage, as the Cyclones picked up a 3-1 win over the Mountaineers in their most recent meeting on Nov. 10, 2018, at the Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa.
 
"They [Iowa State] are experienced," Sunahara said. "They have tradition. Their outside hitters are good. Their middles are good. Their whole team is good. One of their middles played on the Argentina National Team this summer, so she has played against some of the top teams in the world. Christy [Johnson-Lynch] has been there a long time, and they are well-coached."
 
West Virginia most recently dropped a four-set match to Oklahoma at the WVU Coliseum, on Sept. 28, falling to the Sooners in set scores of 25-8, 25-23, 29-31 and 25-21.
 
Senior outside hitter Katelyn Evans led the way with 12 kills in the loss, followed by sophomore outside hitter Kristin Lux with 10. Additionally, sophomore setter Lacey Zerwas assisted on 38 of the Mountaineers' 44 kills, with WVU hitting .121 in the match. Defensively, junior defensive specialist Alexa Hasting led the way with a season-high 24 digs. Classmate Lindsay Proctor also dug a season-high 11 balls, while junior middle blocker Briana Lynch led the team's blocking efforts with six block assists to match her career high previously set on Nov. 11, 2017.
 
Of note, the Mountaineers are 320-237 at home all-time and are 3-1 at the WVU Coliseum this season.
 
As a team, WVU is hitting .204, while holding its opponents to a .194 clip. Sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Kristina Jordan leads the team with 3.29 kills per set to rank seventh in the Big 12. Hasting leads the floor defense with 4.41 digs per set to rank second in the league, while redshirt junior Audrey Adams leads the team's blocking efforts, with 48 total blocks, averaging 0.98 per set.
 
Iowa State is coming off a 3-0 sweep over Kansas on Wednesday, at the Hilton Coliseum, in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones were led on offense by their senior outside hitter Josie Herbst, who tied her season high of 15 kills for the second-straight match. Additionally, sophomore setter Jenna Brandt assisted on 31 Cyclone kills, guiding the ISU offense to a .283 hitting percentage in the match. On the frontline, junior middle blocker Candelaria Herrera had six blocks (one solo, five assists), while sophomore middle blocker Avery Rhodes had five.
 
As a team, Iowa State is hitting .265 to rank third in the league. The Cyclones attack is led by sophomore right side Eleanor Holthaus. Holthaus, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, leads Iowa State with 3.05 kills per set. She also is third on the team in blocking, averaging 0.89 blocks per set, and is fourth on the team in digs at 2.11 per frame.
 
Looking ahead, West Virginia swings through Kansas for a pair of Big 12 Conference matchups. The Mountaineers take on the Kansas Jayhawks on Thursday, Oct. 10, followed by a match at Kansas State on Saturday, Oct. 12.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.