The No. 16 Cyclones were given a run for their money against Texas A&M on Sunday, but Iowa State managed to pull through and win the match 3-1 (25-23, 16-25, 25-17, 25-23).

After two recent losses to Missouri and Oklahoma, the Cyclones (19-7, 12-6 Big 12) needed the win in order to maintain hope of hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.

During the first set, the Aggies (13-15, 7-11) put up a fight, narrowly losing by two points. Iowa State’s best hitter, Victoria Henson, had six kills to Aggie swinger Kelsey Black’s three.

Iowa State lost momentum during the second game and the Aggies were out-hitting the Cyclones .233-.186 by the end of the set.

The Cyclones’ energy returned during the third set and they out-killed Texas A&M 16-11 and out-dug the Aggies 16-12.

For most of the fourth set, Iowa State was behind, but the team managed to make a dramatic comeback, ending the night hitting .212 and holding Texas A&M to .181.

Cyclone Kelsey Petersen had an outstanding night, hitting at .448 with 14 kills. Hitters Carly Jenson and Henson also lit up the scoreboard with 11 and 16 kills.

Black, the Aggies’ go-to hitter, had 14 kills on the match, but was held to just a .067 hitting percentage. A&M hitters Stephanie Minnerly and Allie Sawatzky also contributed to the Aggies’ cause with nine kills apiece.

Despite the fight put up by Texas A&M, the Cyclones locked in the win. They kept the match from going to a fifth set and bolstered morale with a much-needed victory as seeding for the NCAA tournament approaches.

The team will next face Texas Tech on Wednesday in Lubbock, Texas, at 6:30 p.m.