ISU volleyball coach Christy Johnson has been a part of the two largest volleyball crowds in the history of Hilton Coliseum.

Johnson was a setter for Nebraska, when the previous record of 4,228 was set in a 1995 match with the Cornhuskers.

This time, she led the Cyclones into a match with her alma mater where that record was surpassed by a monumental margin.

The crowd of 6,705 on Sunday that watched the second-ranked Cornhuskers sweep the Cyclones set the record for a match at Hilton Coliseum.

Johnson said the record number of fans coming to the match was one of the best things that have happened to the program in her three year tenure.

“Just to know that people are going to come out and support us – it’s a great night for our program,” Johnson said after the game. “I wish we could have given them a little bit better show, but it means a lot to us.”

Nebraska silenced the home crowd early and often in its sweep of the Cyclones, however.

Even with the loss, Johnson and the ISU players were impressed with the crowd after some games earlier in their careers.

Sophomore setter Kaylee Manns said if they had tried to “cram the coliseum” in the past, there would have not have been nearly as many people at the match.

“Almost 7,000 people here to watch a volleyball match at Hilton was unreal,” Manns said. “You wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.”

Senior middle blocker Erin Boeve, who started her career when the ISU program was struggling through single-win seasons, said the match was an amazing experience.

“It was awesome, especially my senior year where we came from no fans to something like this,” Boeve said. “It is something that we need to get to the next level.”

The Cyclones entertained their previous season-high crowd of 2,154 against the now 12th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats on Oct. 13, but in a month, that attendance rose by 4,000.

A large contingent of Nebraska fans helped Iowa State set the record for most people to view a volleyball match in the state of Iowa as well.

Boeve said the crowd and fan support helps the team on the court as well.

“When the crowd is into the game, it is so much easier to do things on the court,” Boeve said.

Manns said the fans came to watch two good teams, and that created an outstanding atmosphere.

“If you think about how many people used to come to our games, that is a big step for our program,” Manns said. “I know this many people would not have come.

Iowa State also has two more home matches against ranked Texas and Oklahoma to try to surpass the new bar that was set Sunday.