Oh, how sweet it was.

On a night that seemed like deja vu for the ISU volleyball team, it was able to survive a five-set match and advance to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in six seasons.

Akin to the first-round match the previous night, No. 15-seeded Iowa State (22-7, 13-3 Big 12) struggled in the second and third sets against North Carolina (26-6, 16-4 ACC) on Friday. For the second consecutive night, the team had its back against the wall.

“Even though we weren’t playing well and it looked like everything was going North Carolina’s way, I think we all had a sense of faith,” said ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch.

Iowa State jumped out to an early lead in the match by winning the first set. As was the case against I-P Fort Wayne in the opening round, however, the Cyclones looked out-of-sorts in the next two sets.

The Cyclones fell behind 7-2 in the second set and were never able to rebound. Out of intermission, the Tarheels also controlled the third set, tallying five of their 14 blocks in that set alone to take a 2-1 lead.

On the brink of elimination, Iowa State would need a drastic turnaround and two straight-set victories.

“I felt like, ‘We’re going to win,'” Johnson-Lynch said. “I felt like if we could get to that fifth game, we’ve got it — not that I wasn’t very nervous or stressed out.”

In the fourth set, the team witnessed a bit of Hilton Magic as a ball landed just inside the line and a last-second dig floated just over the net. Trailing 10-9 the Cyclones went on a 9-0 run and never looked back, forcing a match-deciding fifth set.

The run was fueled in part by middle blocker Tenisha Matlock, who recorded two of her career-high four solo blocks during the team’s fourth-set run.

“Christy helped me this week and reminded me to be dynamic in everything I do,” Matlock said. “Just trying to be solid.”

As the teams switched sides with the Cyclones leading 8-7 in the fifth set, fans chanted ‘Cyclone Power’ and rose to their feet. Neither team ever led by more than two points in the decisive set, and a double-hit violation against the Tarheels on the final play pushed the Cyclones to a 15-13 victory.

For a few seconds, there was uncertainty. Then, celebration.

“We were kind of hoping and praying they’d call it,” said libero Kristen Hahn, who had 28 digs. “You just kind of look at each other like, ‘Oh my goodness, this actually happened.’

“Then it sinks in.”

The loss stung for North Carolina, as it was eliminated from postseason play.

“The way the match was, it was probably a little anti-climactic to me,” said UNC coach Joe Sagula. “I think it would have been better for someone to get a great kill. It would have be much, much more in tune with the way the match was played and respectful to both teams.”

The ISU win pushed the team to a program-record 12-match winning streak. The team, in its seventh NCAA tournament in eight seasons with Johnson-Lynch, continues to reach for more.

“It’s a fun, fun night when you see all those fans getting so excited about Iowa State volleyball,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’re getting there, but we still have some work to do.”