Down a set and trailing 13-10 in set two, the ISU volleyball team needed a player to step up.

That spark came from 5-foot-10-inch setter Kaylee Manns, who had three blocks in an 8-0 run to turn the tide in the Cyclones’ 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 32-30, 25-15) win. Manns barely missed an unconventional triple-double with 60 assists, 13 digs and eight blocks in the match, while serving up her 4,000th assist of her career.

“When you have a player like that step up, it makes the whole team want to rally around her,” outside hitter Rachel Hockaday said.

Coach Christy Johnson said she had been looking for some players to come up with big plays late in the season, and Manns was able to come up with those plays Wednesday.

“I was really proud that she stayed calm and composed tonight but was still fiery,” Johnson said. “She is one of the best athletes I’ve coached in the setter position.”

Victoria Henson rebounded from a first set where she hit -.375 to lead the Cyclones with 17 kills. Jen Malcom had 17 kills and hit .412 and Hockaday had a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs. Libero Ashley Mass lead an 81-71 ISU advantage in digs with 28 on the night.

“I thought [Henson] rebounded very well,” Johnson said. “She had to for us to really do well, so I was glad to see that.”

Iowa State (17-11, 9-8 Big 12) outblocked Colorado, 12-8, to hold the Buffaloes (12-14, 6-11) to a .160 hitting percentage, while hitting .242 as a team.

With Colorado leading 5-3, Iowa State won the next four points, but the Buffaloes then won the next five points. The Cyclones were hampered by five service errors but still managed to get within 23-21, but Colorado was able to get a kill and force Iowa State into a error to finish the opener.

The Buffaloes led early in that second set as well, but Iowa State rattled off that big run and Malcom knotted the match at intermission with a big kill off the Colorado block.

“We get in a groove when we play good defense and we are aggressive,” Johnson said. “The first set we looked tentative, but once we started digging balls and serving a little tougher we turned things around.”

Manns said that run gave the Cyclones what they needed to win the next two sets.

“Volleyball is a game of runs and that one carried us,” Manns said.

The Cyclones had a chance to close set three at 24-22, but were unable to do so, sending the set to extra points. The two teams both had opportunities to take the set but were unable to capitalize. Colorado even had a chance at 30-29.

Henson and Malcom both put the ball to the floor to give Iowa State the lead and the Cyclones closed it out with Manns stuffing the Buffs’ second-leading hitter, Amber Sutherland.

“I think I just had so much momentum and fire and wanted to win so bad,” Manns said. “I probably jumped higher than I ever have in my life and I probably won’t ever be able to do that again.”

Iowa State used that momentum to jump out to a quick start in set four, taking a 7-1 lead with the help of three kills from Hockaday. The Buffaloes never got closer than six in the set the rest of the way, and Malcom and Hockaday finished the match with big kills.

The Cyclones will take to the road to face Oklahoma at 3 p.m. on Saturday.