The ISU volleyball coaches and players smile when it’s brought up, but their responses are always humble. They give deserved praise to their in-state foes who are usually considered their rivals.

Those rivalries, however, seem to be fading on the scoreboard.

Iowa State swept Iowa on Sept. 20, improving head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch’s record against the Hawkeyes to 9-0. Up next on the schedule is a trip Sept. 25 to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face the Northern Iowa Panthers, of whom Iowa State is also used to being on the winning side.

Johnson-Lynch has a 7-2 record against Northern Iowa and has earned a 22-11 advantage in sets won in the process.

The Cyclones’ only two losses to the Panthers came in the 2008-09 and 2011-12 seasons. Though success against Northern Iowa has been common, Johnson-Lynch said it does not change the team’s attitude toward Northern Iowa.

“They’ve always been a bit of a tough team to prepare for,” Johnson-Lynch said. “They’re always great matches. The win last year, I think we won in five [sets] there.”

That match was the only one in the series under Johnson-Lynch that has taken five sets.

The matchup isn’t to be taken for granted, though. Senior outside hitter Victoria Hurtt attributed the on-court triumphs to Iowa State’s attitude toward maximum effort in practice and the arena.

“I think being consistent [and] making sure we’re playing well every single practice and every single game,” Hurtt said. “[If we] come out and play strong, play our best ball, we can every single time.”

Consistently topping in-state opponents has also paid dividends for Iowa State on the recruiting trail. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Samara West, who hails from Omaha, Neb., called the Cyclones’ success over other teams from Iowa a “huge factor” in her decision to play for Iowa State.

She also echoed Hurtt’s thought that Iowa State sticking to its identity has been key to success against its rivals.

“We just go out there and play our game,” West said. “[We] take control of what we can do with our talents. I think we’ve done a good job.”

It isn’t all about the players, though, as they graduate after four years of contributing to the program. What has remained consistent in Iowa State’s decade of success against Iowa and Northern Iowa is the coaching staff.

To Johnson-Lynch and her crew of coaches, no amount of one-sided success changes the idea of the Hawkeyes and Panthers being some of the Cyclones’ biggest rivals.

“It’s always a great match,” Johnson-Lynch said. “The crowd is going to be great on [Sept. 25 in Cedar Falls]. It’s no doubt a rivalry.”