One more road meet against a higher-ranked conference opponent. One more win for the ISU gymnastics team.

On the heels of a strong balance beam performance, the No. 9 ISU gymnastics team (7-2, 2-0 Big 12) defeated No. 6 Oklahoma (4-5, 0-2 Big 12), 196.275-196.050, Friday night in Norman, Okla.

The Cyclones topped the Sooners on the beam 49.075-48.750 which proved to be the most significant gap in score of the night.

“Beam was definitely the strongest performance of the night,” said ISU coach K.J. Kindler. “From top to bottom, every performer put out their A-game.”

“I think our beam can stand up to anything,” she said. “The concern was more that the routines would be steady and that they wouldn’t let nerves get in the way and they didn’t at all.”

The Cyclones had some help from the Sooners on the beam thanks to an error by Oklahoma.

“They had a wobble on beam that was pretty substantial and we were able to capitalize on that and that’s what you have to do when you’re on the road,” Kindler said. “I told the girls ‘When opportunity knocks, you have to answer the door, you can’t go to the bathroom.’ You have to get to that door as fast as you can and take advantage, so that’s what they did and they were awesome with it.”

Senior Laura-Kay Powell anchored the Cyclones on the beam with a season-high score of 9.900.

“Our score tonight just means that we can build on it and keep improving throughout the season,” she said.

“I think it really helped our confidence.”

Senior Erin Dethloff said she believes having such a strong performance on the beam proves how tough the Cyclones are.

“It’s hard to end on beam, it’s the most nerve-racking event, and we were very aggressive and strong and came out winning that event,” she said.

Junior Janet Anson and Dethloff led all competitors in the all-around, earning first and second place, respectively.

Anson attained a team-season-high score of 39.425, while Dethloff trailed closely behind with a 39.300.

“I was just focusing on the little things tonight, you know, hitting handstands,” said Anson, who earned a score of 9.850 on uneven bars.

“My bars score was definitely higher than it has been in the past, I think it is season high for me.”

“It definitely helped that I was able to hit my bar routine as good as I do in the gym.”

Anson also earned a season-high 9.900 on vault. She was the runner-up on vault at the 2005 NCAA women’s gymnastics championships.

In an unusual occurrence, the Cyclones tied the Sooners in the floor exercise, with both teams attaining a score of 49.175.

“To tie on an event can definitely happen,” Kindler said. “[Oklahoma] is an excellent floor team, it’s their strongest event. They have very big skills on floor, they’re throwing big tricks and that’s difficult to beat.”

Despite the ISU gymnastics team’s domination on the road, the Cyclones definitely believe there is room for improvement.

“It’s always good to come into somebody else’s house and have a good performance and win over them, but we had a few mistakes we can improve on, which will be our focus this week coming into the back to back against Oregon State and Nebraska,” Dethloff said. “We just need to have more energy, hit our angles on bars and stick all our dismounts.”

After three weeks of standing up to challenges on the road, the Cyclones are thrilled to be back home in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones take on Oregon State at 7 p.m. Friday, and 2 p.m. Sunday they tackle Big 12 rival Nebraska during the inaugural “Beauty and the Beast” event, in which the Iowa State gymnastics and wrestling teams compete simultaneously.

“I’m really happy to be home this weekend,” Kindler said. “We haven’t seen the home crowd since our second meet of the year and we’ve definitely improved a great deal since then. I’m looking forward to great opponents in Oregon State and Nebraska.”

After earning scores of 49.000 or higher in three events the last two weeks, Anson said that fans can expect something special from the Cyclones this weekend.

“We’re looking for four 49s,” she said.

“Next meet, we’ll get it.”