From the first point of the game, it was clear the match between No. 9 Iowa State and No. 22 Baylor would be a tight one. It was a game of inches, filled with bodies screeching across the floor of Hilton Coliseum, diving into the crowd and doing whatever it took to keep the ball in play.

In the end, it was the Cyclones (18–3, 10–2 Big 12) who came out on top, 3–2, in the five-set showdown (24–26, 25–21, 25–23, 23–25, 16–14). After scrambling back from a 12–7 deficit in the fifth set, the Cyclones remain undefeated at home. The win marks Iowa State’s ninth in a row, a school record for the squad, and the Bears fall to 18–5, 7–5 in conference play.

“I think it’s a big win because of the deficit we had in the fifth game,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I mean, we’ve had long matches at home and we’ve had long rallies at home and we’ve won against ranked teams at home and all those things, but to see that kind of a deficit … to come back and have the confidence and stay aggressive at that point when it’s clutch and [there’s a lot of] pressure, it was pretty big.”

Scrappy, defensive efforts came from both teams as Iowa State finished with a school-record 122 digs in rally scoring, along with junior libero Ashley Mass’ school-record 42 digs. Mass’ record broke a previous mark set in 1995 by Steph McCannon. Mass has been consistent for the Cyclones since her freshman year, and even under intense amounts of pressure she never flustered on Wednesday night.

“[Mass] was incredible. [The Baylor left side hitters] struggled a little bit, and I think that was largely because they couldn’t get a ball down on [Mass],” Johnson-Lynch said. “I don’t care if they were hitting it sharp or hitting it deep, she was everywhere.”

Along with Mass’ stat-crushing performance, three other Cyclones finished in double-digits in digs. Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday posted a season-high 16 digs, while senior setter Kaylee Manns compiled a career-high 25. Junior outside hitter Victoria Henson notched a career-high 20 digs along with three block assists and one solo block to boost Iowa State’s defensive effort.

“It kind of shows, I guess, who’s the better defensive team, especially tonight. I mean, it was close … everything was really, really close tonight,” Manns said. “I think since we kind of lacked on the offensive side, we picked it up defensively.”

Johnson-Lynch has always said Iowa State is a very defensive-minded team, and against Baylor it showed. But the Cyclones weren’t the only ones on the floor with stellar-defensive plays. The Bears compiled 104 digs and found five players over the double-digit mark. The last time a Baylor squad compiled over 100 digs was in November of 2008.

“I think it was back and forth, Baylor and us. I think we both played very tough defense,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I felt like there were a lot of long rallies; it felt like it was very difficult to put the ball away.”

The back-and-forth points and drawn-out rallies continued all the way through to the fifth and final set and began from the very first point of the game. Several rallies were ended by tips from the Cyclone offense or sneak-attacks by Baylor’s senior setter Taylor Barnes.

Barnes’ versatility at the net was displayed as she took full swings with her left hand, but her tricks caught up with her when she attempted to push the ball over the net. Instead, it went straight into the net, which resulted in an eruption from the Cyclone crowd in the fifth set, not to mention the bouncing bodies on the opposite side of the net from the six players in cardinal and gold.

Neither team hit particularly well, due to the strong defensive efforts, and Iowa State’s low hitting percentage was due to the whopping 15.5 team blocks the Bears posted, led by seven block assists from junior middle blocker Elizabeth Graham.

Although the win last week in Lincoln was most likely the biggest win for the Cyclones this season, this win was also crucial, as Baylor has been a team right with the Cyclones in conference play this season. Baylor is also one of two teams in the Big 12 to beat Iowa State. The final set alone displayed the effort of the ISU volleyball team.

After two straight points were won by the Cyclones, a Baylor timeout was called with the score 12–10, Baylor ahead. After the break, Iowa State responded with a kill from Henson, and the junior hitter bounced back to win the next point with a solo block to tie it up at 14–14. A kill by sophomore Kelsey Petersen ended a scrappy rally to make it game point, and Henson’s ace serve solidified the win.

“A win against a great team like Baylor who is gonna be, I think by the end of the season, neck and neck with us in the conference, I think that’s going to be really important,” Johnson-Lynch said.