For five years coach Christy Johnson-Lynch has worked to get ‘here’: to stay in Ames and host the NCAA tournament, to become a top program in the country, and to have one of the top fan bases in the country. Now the Cyclone volleyball team is here, and the players will get a chance to sleep in their own beds the night before the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“I think getting to play in front of our fans one more time is kind of a ‘thank you’ to them for all the support they’ve given us this year,” Johnson-Lynch said.

The Cyclone fan base spoke in the game against Nebraska this season, bringing a record-breaking crowd of 10,203. Iowa State faces George Mason at Hilton Coliseum on at 7:30 p.m. Friday for the last chance Cyclone fans have to watch the No. 5 team in the country.

“It’s nice to play in front of our fans that have supported us all year, because they’ve done a great job and helped us out this year a lot,” said sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday. “We’re really excited.”

While Iowa State had an average attendance of 2,749 per game, the Patriots compiled a total season attendance of 2,987 — averaging just fewer than 250 fans per match.

“I think the big thing about playing in front of big crowds is to basically realize that you’re there to play the match,” said George Mason coach Pat Kendrick. “It’s certainly exciting to play in front of a crowd that is knowledgeable about volleyball and is excited to see their team play, but we have no influence or any kind of control over that, so we try not to worry about it too much.”

If the Cyclones bring in a crowd even half as large as the one seen against Nebraska, or another record-breaking attendance, the ISU players will already know what it feels like. Hockaday, senior setter Kaylee Manns and junior outside hitter Victoria Henson all nodded in agreement at Thursday’s press conference about already experiencing a packed Hilton Coliseum and getting those nerves out of their systems.

“I think if that happened we’d be like, ‘oh, we’ve been here, we’ve done that,’” Manns said of playing with a large crowd.

Hosting the first and second rounds also brings expectations and nervousness that has only been felt once before by players on an ISU squad. For the second time in school history, the Cyclones are the favorites, and teams from around the country have traveled to Ames to compete.

“I think the anxiety level is higher, because when you go in as an underdog you feel like, ‘OK, let’s just go in and see what happens’ and don’t feel that pressure,” Johnson-Lynch said. “But that’s the fun part of it, too, and that’s where we want to be. We want to have that extra pressure and that extra anxiety throughout the week.”

Along with the extra emotions funneling through the Cyclone players come memories of the past when Iowa State was the team no one thought could come out on top.

“Everybody looked past us,” Manns said. “Nobody thought we could beat the top ranked teams, and we did, so I am kind of looking at it from the standpoint of ‘I need to take these teams seriously, because that was me last year.’”

For George Mason, the underdog of the matchup this year, coming from behind and topping the higher ranked team is something they are used to.

“I think our team is really good at holding our own,” said Patriot junior middle blocker Holly Goode. “Our team bond is really great, and we have that connection to bring ourselves back from being in a deficit.”

To help battle back from deficits and propel the Patriots throughout the season were Goode and sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Bohman. Both players are leaders in statistical categories, Goode averaging 3.24 kills per set and Bohman 1.41 blocks per set.

“Both Kelsey and Holly have had great seasons,” Kendrick said, “and it certainly helps when you have more than just one person who can put the ball away. It certainly helps to have at least two options on any given night.”

A player who helps and has helped the Cyclone squad for the past four years is starting setter Kaylee Manns. When the season started, Manns talked of her goals, which were: beating Nebraska, beating Texas, placing in the top two in the Big 12, and advancing to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Up until now all of her goals have been achieved, and this is her last shot at winning a regional final.

“It’s my last run, and I just I want to end it better than last year,” Manns said. “It’s my ultimate goal. I’ve been saying I want to be top two in the Big 12, I want to be Texas and Nebraska. We did that, and now I want to go to Final Four.”