Fans from across the state streamed into Hilton Coliseum to watch Iowa State face Iowa in an intense Friday night CyHawk match. The Cyclones had already taken down Drake earlier in the week and aimed to beat an in-state rival for a second straight home victory.

“Let’s go state” echoed from the crowd, as the Cyclones got in position. They received a serve from Iowa sophomore Addie VanderWeide and senior Eleanor Holthaus buried a kill, following a set from senior Jaden Newsome.

The crowd roared, and as the energy level inside Hilton increased, so did the level of play from Iowa State. The crowd noise was suffocating, and Iowa State hurried to an early six-point lead.

“It was just like straight adrenaline,” said junior Alexis Engelbrecht. “When you have a good start you always feel more confident, you feel more together as a team, so it felt good having that.”

The momentum carried on. Despite a second set loss, the Cyclones were energized as they secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Iowa. The crowd was impactful in close sets, giving Iowa State an advantage as the match continued on.

“It was a pretty amazing atmosphere in [Hilton] and the student section was outstanding,” said head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch.

She tabbed the crowd as one of her MVP’s of the night.

In the final two sets, Iowa State fell to an early deficit, but fought back both times to overcome an Iowa lead. As the scorelines drew close, the crowd became increasingly boisterous.

Scoring runs generated multiple swings in momentum for Iowa State. Despite the scoreline, no lead was safe for Iowa.

“You know we just kept fighting and I really thought the perseverance we showed in this match was pretty amazing,” Johnson-Lynch said.

With the advantage of a home environment, the Cyclones aimed to keep the match within reach.

“Just get a point here or two and just fight and hang in there enough to keep it close and maybe we can break this open, and I thought that’s what we did,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Although the crowd had an impact, it was continuously brought to its feet by Holthaus, who helped lead an Iowa State comeback in the fourth set. She earned seven kills in the set, burying shots in open space.

Holthaus led the team with 17 kills, but her passing and serving also made a difference Johnson-Lynch said. Holthaus has shown up in big moments all throughout the season, but she took her play to the next level against Iowa.

“I’ve been in moments like this where, we have a younger team right now, and so if I can guide them through the situations that I’ve already been in then I think that’ll help them, and it just showed tonight,” said Holthaus.

Along with freshmen Maya Duckworth, Holthaus helped Iowa State secure a victory, providing the Cyclones with a second consecutive win at home. With Wright State up next, the Cyclones have an opportunity to sweep their home stand.