Editor’s Note: Fresh off its improbable Sweet 16 season of 2007, Iowa State came right back in 2008 to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. The Cyclones did their predecessors one better, making it to the Elite Eight.

After the first two sets of its Sweet 16 match against Oregon, a shell-shocked Iowa State team found itself down 2-0 in the locker-room and 25 points away from a trip back home.

Nerves, embarrassment, disbelief and frustration surrounded the young group heading into set three.

Then came a defining moment for of Iowa State volleyball. The Cyclones had just been beaten 25-17 and 25-11 in sets one and two, and looked to each other for motivation.

Co-captains Jen Malcom and Kaylee Manns stepped up and spurred a significant turn-around for the team.

The two captains spoke up in the locker room after frustration had set in. Different attempts at motivation were filtering among players, which was causing a rift in the team. Some wanted to remain positive, while others said, “This is ridiculous, we’re playing terrible,” and wanted to change things in the next game.

So far, Iowa State hadn’t faced a challenge like this in the tournament.

“This isn’t going to be my last game,” Malcom said to the players. “So help me out and keep playing hard so we can move on.”

A combination of motivational techniques turned attitudes around for the Cyclones going into the third set. The players wanted to do anything and everything they could to show that they deserved to be in the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row and that Iowa State was not a Cinderella story.

“It was a positive thing [in the locker-room], but at the same time we had to kind of get on each other and say ‘Why are we being like this? Why are we nervous?’” Manns said. “We just got done playing in the first- and second-round games, so we shouldn’t be nervous.”

Four years ago, a run to the NCAA Elite Eight seemed next to impossible for the Iowa State volleyball program. Now, with head coach Christy Johnson in charge for the last four years, the Cyclones has started to become one of the top programs in the country.

The 2008 run helped the Cyclones finish No. 12 in the country — the school’s highest ranking ever.

And Iowa State did it with one of the youngest starting lineups the program has seen. Last season was Johnson’s first year with all of her own recruits, and despite the young-natured team, Johnson’s bunch found a way to step up when it mattered most.

After advancing to the Elite Eight, the Cyclones fell to No. 3 Texas 3-1, but their regional final loss did not overshadow the course of events that led up to that point.

“I think finishing in the Elite Eight and ending with that high of a national ranking made believers out of a lot of people,” Johnson said. “Taking it one step further proved that our program is real and is now among the elite programs in the country.”

The tournament run began with a battle of revenge for the Cyclones who fell hard at home to Northern Iowa early in the season, but managed to knock off UNI when it counted with a 3-1 victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Cyclones shocked Minnesota on their home court in the second round, defeating the Gophers 3-1 and earning Iowa State a second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.

The third round date with No. 7 Oregon in Austin, Texas was unlike the first and second rounds, starting off slowly for Iowa State.

In the first two sets, the Cyclones lacked intensity, resulting in Oregon’s blistering attacking percentage of .389 and .524. The body language and communication Iowa State had in sets one and two showed that they were down, making it that much easier for Oregon to take control.

Johnson told her players at the break to do whatever they could to stay positive in the third set. Whether it meant jumping up and down, celebrating or slapping a teammate’s hand, the Cyclones needed to find a way to change their attitudes.

“We weren’t going to roll over and die,” Malcom said. “Oregon thought they had it in the bag and we just came out fighting harder in the third and fourth set.”

The Cyclones shifted the momentum in their favor in set three and pulled away in the fourth and fifth set. Iowa State never trailed, and Oregon never tied the score in the final set.

When Ashley Mass put up a short serve on match point of set five, Johnson was still confident. Mass’ serve hit the center of the net and trickled over to result in an ace that sent the Cyclones to their first-ever regional final.

“I just felt really good about that fifth game,” Johnson said. “We were so much in control that I really had no doubts we would win.”

At the final whistle, Manns thought back to the promises that were made her freshman year. Just four years ago, the Cyclone program had next to nothing to show for after posting nine straight losing seasons and just 13 total wins in Big 12 play.

“I just was thinking, ‘Oh my God,’” Manns said. “I came here my freshman year and Coach had promised we would be good and I believed her.”

Those promises are becoming a reality, and with that, the goals for future teams are growing.

Increasing the number of fans at home matches, ranking in the top 10 in national attendance, more media coverage and better recruiting classes are all part of Johnson’s plans for the future.

“I really hope that the Elite Eight gives us more momentum than what we even had already,” Johnson said. “We need to go into next season prepared to take advantage of the fact that we made that great run.”