It wasn’t easy and at times not pretty, but Iowa State is headed for the second round of the NCAA tournament.

No. 15-seeded Iowa State, now on a school record-tying win streak of 11 matches, defeated I-P Fort Wayne in five sets (25-11, 23-25, 22-25, 25-13, 15-7) on Thursday night at Hilton Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In the sets the Cyclones (21-7, 13-3 Big 12) won, they held the Mastodons (25-7, 12-4 Summit League) to hitting percentages of .054 in the first set, .056 in the fourth and .045 in the fifth. ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said the key to the win was Iowa State’s ability to serve and pass.

“We served them off the court like they were serving us off the court in the games we lost,” Johnson-Lynch said. “They were passing poorly and getting aced and just having trouble getting any offense going.”

After controlling the first set, the Cyclones suffered a setback midway through set two when middle blocker Jamie Straube limped off the court with an apparent knee injury. Straube returned to the match in the third set, but Iowa State would go on to lose both sets.

Setter Alison Landwehr felt even though Straube is an important player to have on the court, her teammates were able to step up too.

“I thought Tory [Knuth] did a nice job but Jamie was just having such a big match and she came back in and her and [Tenisha Matlock] were just such a good option against them,” Landwehr said. “They couldn’t really find a way to stop our middles.”

After the third set, facing elimination, libero Kristen Hahn challenged her teammates and asked who wanted the win more. The two sets lost were the first sets Iowa State has lost at home in its postseason history.

“I just kept reminding everyone we can stay relaxed,” Hahn said. “I was trying to lighten the mood. We play a lot better when we’re having fun and you could tell in our faces we were really tense. [I was] just reminding people to smile and just to have fun.”

Iowa State’s second-round opponent will be North Carolina, which defeated California in four sets on Thursday night. The Cyclones have only faced the Tarheels (26-5, 16-4 ACC) one time in 1987, a 3-0 ISU win.

One thing North Carolina coach Joe Sagula knows about the Cyclones is that they are a highly efficient team.

“They play really tough; really good defense,” Sagula said. “They’ve got some good offensive weapons in the middle as well and good balance. Obviously I think Iowa State, with the home crowd, has a good plus.”

In watching North Carolina’s victory against California, Johnson-Lynch senses a lot of chemistry and belief from the Tarheel squad. She also sees similarities to her own team in the way North Carolina can dig the ball and transition on the attack to the middle and right side.

“That win against Cal was huge for that program,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I think they’re feeling pretty good about themselves.”

First serve between Iowa State and North Carolina will be 7:30 p.m. Friday in Hilton Coliseum.