CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The ISU volleyball team held off Northern Iowa in the fifth set after dropping two straight to the Panthers.

No. 11 Iowa State (4-0) extends its winning streak to four straight matches this season after the win against Northern Iowa (1-3) on Wednesday.

“[I’m] thrilled to come out with a win. We were looking really rattled there for a second,” said ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I didn’t know if we could calm it back down and gain our composure. We did find that toward the end of four, and I thought five we played pretty composed.”

Iowa State started out strong with a 25-13 win against Northern Iowa in the first set. The Panthers’ offense picked up in the second set, but the Cyclones won it 25-20.

The momentum changed when Northern Iowa got off to an early 3-0 lead in the third set. The crowd was on its feet as the Cyclones were unable to come back. The Panthers won the set 25-21.

“I think they did adjust their block. They started digging a lot of balls, and the ball would come over and I don’t think we were quite ready for them to make that spectacular dig,” Johnson-Lynch said.

The fourth set was a tight one. Iowa State led 3-1 before Northern Iowa knotted it at four.

The fourth set had two lead changes and was tied on seven different occasions before the Panthers were able to win.

“Morgan Kuhrt said in the huddle right before we went out for the fifth game she said ‘I think we’re playing a little tight. Everyone’s shoulders are up near their ears. Everyone needs to relax. We need to have fun,’” said senior libero Kristen Hahn. “We smiled and we said: ‘You got it.’”

Northern Iowa held on in the early part of the fifth set. Iowa State managed to pull away after a kill by redshirt freshman Natalie Vondrak to put them up 6-3. The Cyclones won the fifth set 15-9.

“We kind of got a little timid there in three and four but knowing that we still have an opportunity to win a 15 point, and I think we knew we had the energy to do that,” Hahn said.

Hahn had a season-high 34 digs while sophomore setter Jenelle Hudson had her second straight match with 50 or more assists.

“I honestly don’t even look at the stats,” Hudson said. “It’s not about that for me. Just making my hitters really successful and watching them get that kill, that’s all I need.”

Before the Northern Iowa match, freshman outside hitter Ciara Capezio averaged 1.8 kills per set. She made 6 kills in the first set.

Capezio led Iowa State in total kills against Northern Iowa. She finished the match with

22 total.

“I think this is the first time, maybe, the fans perhaps saw what [Ciara’s] going to be able to do,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She’s still learning like most freshmen, but you got to see flashes of what she could be, and she’s pretty spectacular at times.”