The No. 14 Cyclones (13-3, 5-2 Big 12) traveled to Norman to face off against the Oklahoma Sooners (11-5, 4-3 Big 12) Wednesday night. For the Cyclones, Norman had been anything but a nice place to play as they had not won a match there since 2005.

Junior Victoria Henson led the way with a season-high 24 kills, while senior setter Kaylee Manns and sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday collected season highs in digs as Iowa State was able to pick up its second conference road win against Oklahoma 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-10, 25-21).

Henson had an all around strong match. In addition to her 24 kills, she had 14 digs and six total blocks. Through a press release, head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch praised Henson’s ability to take control of the match.

“Victoria had a special night, she really took over the match and that was nice to see,” said Johnson-Lynch . “She has the ability to take any match and she did exactly that tonight.”

Iowa State got off to a fast start during the first set as it took a quick 5-1 advantage. However, Oklahoma was quick to respond as it was able to tie the game and at one point take the lead 21-20. But three straight scoring plays from Henson would propel Iowa State to a 23-22 lead and ultimately give them a big enough cushion to take the first set 25-23.

The second set was a different story as Oklahoma was able to take a quick lead, forcing Iowa State to play catch-up the entire set. Iowa State would get three straight scoring plays to tie the set at 5-5. But Oklahoma would refuse to let up and would play with the lead the rest of the second set, with it’s biggest lead coming at 17-12.

Iowa State would go on to lose the second set 25-22 despite six more kills from Henson.

The Cyclones responded well after dropping the second set by coming out with a strong effort in the third set. The Cyclones used a .538 hitting percentage and a combined nine kills from Henson and sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Peterson to help lead them to their biggest margin of victory of the match, 25-10.   

The Cyclones showed no signs of slowing down as they were able to hold a comfortable lead at 22-15. While it looked as if Oklahoma was done, the Sooners responded 6-2 run to cut the Cyclones lead to 24-21. Oklahoma’s comeback attempt fell short, however, as they were beaten 25-21 to give Iowa State the match.

Freshman middle blocker Jamie Straube got the start at the middle blocker tonight replacing senior middle blocker Diane Kieger. Straube responded well by collecting four kills and a career high eight blocking assists.

Manns’ 46 assists marked the eighth time this season she has been able to notch at least 40 assists in a match. Manns also was able to contribute on the defensive end with a career-high 23 digs during the four game set.

For the Cyclones, this match marked the first time since Sept. 12 against Drake they were forced to go to four sets. The Cyclones were not phased by this as they were able to hold Oklahoma to a .068 hitting percentage for the entire match, including two sets where the Sooners hit a staggering -.02 and -.097. Oklahoma also committed 36 errors while the Cyclones committed 20.

Iowa State will look to end its road trip on a high note as it visits Kansas this Saturday.