Down 12–7 in the fifth set and facing a Baylor team that recorded 15.5 team blocks, the ISU volleyball team kept going outside.

Five kills from the outside later, the Cyclones walked away with a win.

Junior Victoria Henson recorded 24 kills, 22 digs and hit .310 while sophomore Rachel Hockaday had 15 kills and 16 digs to pace the Cyclones in their win against Baylor.

Henson had four of her kills, two block assists and the game-winning service ace in the fifth set that saw the Cyclones come from behind.

“Victoria has taken over matches at times and I think she did exactly that tonight,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I always love to see that.

“She has been our go-to all year and that was no different tonight.”

Henson tied her season high in kills and bettered her season and career-high for digs by two. Hockaday’s 16 digs was a personal season high and one short of her career high.

While the two had strong nights, the beginning of the match wasn’t so strong. Hockaday was able to bounce back after a tough first set that saw her hit -0.59 and have only one kill.

“Baylor has a huge block and great defense, so it’s hard to put the ball down,” Hockaday said. “You just have to find a way to get out of that rut.”

Hockaday got out of her rut in a big way, recording 14 kills in the remaining four sets. Her 71 attempts in the match were the eighth-most in school history and the most since Henson had 60 against Oklahoma earlier this season.

“Hockaday is a very competitive player,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She may not be getting the most kills, but you feel like she’s in the match, focused and giving her all. You just never know, because she works so hard, she’s going to get hot at some point.”

While the pair had 39 total kills, its defense was just as crucial. At 11–12 in the fifth set, Hockaday chased down a ball that was drifting out of play to keep the point alive.

“Hock is a great defensive player,” Henson said. “I guess we were just in the right spots.”

After coming from behind in the fifth set, Henson had just one thing on their mind.

“Finish the game and win,” Henson said. “We just wanted to win so bad.”

On the court, the outside hitters provided a spark for the Cyclones that kept them going whether they were trailing early or late in the match.

“Victoria was huge,” Hockaday said. “All of our confidence was on her, and when she got that last block we said, ‘OK, we can do this.’”