At this time three years ago, the ISU volleyball team was just trying to put another disappointing season behind them. The 2004 season marked another year with a winning percentage below .300, and a 1-19 last-place finish in the conference.

Fast forward to the present. In their third season under coach Christy Johnson, the Cyclones are coming off their third consecutive winning season and are preparing for the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

“To be honest, I did not think I would be playing for four full years,” said senior defensive specialist Laura Cady, who was a freshman in the 2004 season. “Going 1-19 is just devastating for a program, but once Christy came in, everything changed. The confidence she put into this team and the excitement she gave us has brought things a long way in three years”

Cady is one of four seniors who are finishing their careers at Iowa State, along with middle blocker Erin Boeve, right-side hitter Lauren Cummings, and outside hitter Meghan Ferrie.

Cady, Boeve, and Ferrie have all been at Iowa State since their freshman year, while Cummings transferred from Northwest Missouri State her junior season. Johnson knows they have all played a pivotal role in the rise of the program.

“These seniors have brought this program to a completely new level,” Johnson said. “They were here when it was really struggling, and now they’re finishing with another NCAA Tournament. I credit them with a lot of what we have been able to accomplish over the last few years.”

But a lot of the success can also be credited to Johnson. In the 10 years prior to her arrival, Iowa State won just 13 conference matches in 180 tries and posted a cumulative winning percentage of .218 (59-212).

In her three seasons with the Cyclones, Johnson has posted a 32-28 record in the Big 12 and has an overall winning percentage of .581 (54-39).

And the players recognize just how much Johnson has meant to the program during her short time in Ames.

“I knew coming in here that this was a program in a rebuilding stage,” Boeve said. “But I had no idea that when Christy and her staff came in, we would make this quick of a turnaround, thinking maybe it would happen a few years after I graduate. But it’s great to see what we turned this team into with just the girls we had here already.”

Iowa State is making its third NCAA appearance in school history, will play at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wis., for the second straight year. Last year the Cyclones swept UW-Milwaukee in the first round before ending their season in a 3-0 loss to the host Badgers.

“It’s really exciting to be going back to a place we have played at before,” Boeve said. “The Field House is a great place to play, and it makes playing in the NCAA Tournament that much more exciting. The biggest thing is for us to not be nervous or get ahead of ourselves, which can be hard to do when you’re playing on a big stage. But we just need to stay relaxed and have fun while it lasts.”

Since the majority of Iowa State’s roster has seen the floor in an NCAA Tournament game, most of the first-year jitters have since subsided, and the team is looking forward to enjoying this tournament as much as possible.

“I think this weekend is going to be one this school will always remember,” said Cummings, whose excitement nearly put her at a loss for words. “You can’t even imagine how ready we are for this. I can’t wait to be there and get going. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited in my life.”