The ISU volleyball team broke a nagging losing streak Wednesday night against Northern Iowa, but instead of just winning the match, it did so in a fashion the Panthers will not soon forget.

Iowa State (6-1) traveled to a sold-out West Gym in Cedar Falls, and proceeded to trump Northern Iowa in three straight games, the first victory in 11 matches against the in-state rival. The Cyclones halted UNI’s 29-match winning streak against Iowa teams by scores of 30-28, 30-24 and 30-16.

After succumbing last weekend to Stephen F. Austin in the title match of their own tournament, the Cyclones regrouped to achieve a long-standing goal.

“This is obviously pretty thrilling for all of us, particularly the players,” said coach Christy Johnson. “This rivalry was very important, and a great confidence builder for us. We really rebounded from Saturday and refocused to get ourselves ready for tonight.”

Senior Amanda Craig, who had three winless seasons against the Panthers in her career, said the team was ready to show Northern Iowa it wasn’t the same team as before.

“We were very optimistic coming into this game, and we just really focused on being positive,” she said. “This is an amazing win for us, and it’s definitely the biggest accomplishment in my four years here. It’s a great feeling.”

The Cyclones dominated the match, hitting a collective .267 as a team, while holding Northern Iowa to .170. They secured their win in the third game, hitting .333 to the Panthers’ .057.

Iowa State’s blocking game also played a crucial part in the win, as it knocked down 13 Panther hits. Sophomore Meghan Ferrie was unstoppable at the net, chipping in seven block assists and blasting five kills in the first game.

“We blocked really well, better than we had in the past couple matches,” Johnson said. “Our defense was great tonight.”

Although the team found itself behind in the first match, Johnson said it stayed composed and calm. After Northern Iowa ticked off a quick five points, Iowa State rallied to tie the score at 10. Another run by the Panthers kept it uncomfortably close until a 7-1 run put the Cyclones ahead for good.

The second game found the teams tied at 20 in a volleying battle, but six kills each from Katie Jessen and Nicole Lorenzen helped secure the ISU win.

Jessen was the offensive spark for the Cyclones with 12 kills on the night, while Craig contributed to that success with 34 assists. Libero Katie Churm tallied 12 digs in the Cyclones’ defensive show.

Northern Iowa’s Laura Rowen did her part for the Panthers, matching Jessen’s 12 kills while adding 11 digs. Stephanie May notched nine kills and eight digs for the Panthers, who fell to 4-2 after the loss.

Craig said the win should be a wake-up call to Big 12 foes who remember a 1-19 conference record from one year ago.

“This gives us the confidence that we can compete with any team,” she said. “No matter how good they are, we are able to beat any given team on any given night.”

Though the win says volumes about the progress of the Cyclones, Johnson said her team should keep expecting more out of their season and themselves.

“This was a great win for us, but we can’t let this be the highlight of the season for us,” she said. “There are more things to accomplish this year.”