It was a weeklong roller coaster ride for the Cyclone softball players who participated in both the Stetson and Bethune-Cookman tournaments in Florida during Spring Break.

Iowa State won its ninth game in a row, dropped the next four, then rebounded to win three of the final four games, pushing its record to 14-11 on the season.

“I really think we should have won a couple of games that we lost, so that was kind of disappointing,” head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt said.

“I guess overall it could have been better; it could have been worse.”

The Cyclones arrived at the Stetson tournament riding an eight-game win streak and defeated Canisius 7-2 for their ninth straight win – the longest winning streak since a 10-game streak in 1988.

“You’re not going to win every game, so you can’t put too much into a big winning streak like that, but it is nice because it gives you a little confidence and motivation,” junior catcher Ashley Killeen said.

Iowa State went on to lose to Florida twice by scores of 8-3 and 5-0 and to Stetson, 1-0, to close out the tournament. They traveled to the Bethune-Cookman tournament and lost the opening game to Western Illinois, 4-0, moving their losing streak to a season-high four games.

“It’s tough going from the high to a low like that,” Killeen said. “But that’s what athletics is all about, rebounding from the downs and trying to get back up.”

For the Cyclones, this recent roller coaster ride is just a glimpse of the natural streaks that come with the game of softball – something that they may have to deal with the rest of the season.

“I definitely think that softball is kind of a contagious game that we play, whether it’s winning or losing,” Gemeinhardt said. “The main thing that we try to do is maintain a balance by never getting too high and never getting too low and always trying to play the exact same all the time.”

Iowa State returned to a bit of normalcy after winning three of the final four games of the tournament.

The Cyclones defeated Bethune-Cookman, 3-0, and Central Connecticut State, 7-0, before losing to Liberty, 2-1. They finished on a positive note by defeating Liberty, 4-1, in the rematch.

After the Stetson tournament, the Cyclones remained in Florida awaiting the Bethune-Cookman tournament, giving the team plenty of time to relax and build team chemistry.

“I think we’re all pretty good friends anyway,” Killeen said. “But I think when we can spend some time together as a whole and do activities together, it definitely builds chemistry with everyone.”

The bonding experience, in the eyes of Gemeinhardt, should benefit the team for the rest of the season.

“The more time that you spend with your teammates and the more passionate you are, the better you want to play not only for your school, yourself and your parents, but also for the teammates that are out there,” she said.

For Iowa State, the completion of the Spring Break tournaments marks the end of a tournament portion of the schedule, and the team is looking forward to the rest of the season.

“Hopefully they were able to prepare to play conference,” Gemeinhardt said.

“You know, this is kind of a new season and we’re about halfway through, so hopefully we’re ready to play.”

The Cyclones will look to draw off their success after winning the Charleston Southern tournament later in the season when they re-enter tournament play.

“I think we’ve proven we can play well when everyone is focused,” Killeen said.

“But we still have to make sure we put in the extra effort to show up for every game because we know we’re not good enough to just show up and play. We have to make sure we’re ready to go.”

The Cyclones have a doubleheader – their first home games of the season – at 2 p.m. Thursday against North Dakota State at the Southwest Athletic Complex.