CORALVILLE – The Iowa State Cyclones took down Iowa 3-2 for their fourth straight victory against the Hawkeyes on Wednesday night. The Cyclones have now won the last six five-set matches against the Hawkeyes.
Unlike their previous trip to Coralville, the Cyclones took a two-set lead early in the match. However, the Hawkeyes delivered a glimpse of reverse-déjà vu heading into set five.
Back-to-back trips to Coralville see back-to-back five-set matches
In 2023, the Cyclones found themselves trailing 2-0 before completing a reverse sweep for their second straight win against Iowa. The first four sets of the 2025 Cy-Hawk chapter were the exact opposite.
The Cyclones took a two-set advantage against the Hawkeyes to swing momentum in their favor for set three. From there, the Hawkeyes flipped the script with sets three and four, winning both sets 25-21.
The fifth set saw nothing but back-to-back point exchanges, as neither team could get a scoring run going. Neither team led by more than two points in the fifth set, until the Cyclones built a 14-11 match-point opportunity for themselves.
After the Hawkeyes made it 14-13, an assist from senior setter Morgan Brandt to redshirt junior right side Lilly Wachholz resulted in the game-winning kill that sealed the deal for the Cyclones.
“Obviously, that third and fourth sets were a little shaky,” Wachholz said. “But I was so proud of how we came out there and fought through the fifth set.”
Maintaining composure makes the difference for the Cyclones
Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch mentioned leading up to the match that maintaining composure would be the difference between victory and defeat on Monday. Wednesday’s five-set victory proved her point.
“We lost it a little bit in the third and fourth set, and I tried some different things in the lineup,” Johnson-Lynch said. “But in the fifth set we did a really good job of staying aware and playing hard.”
Freshman outside hitter Alea Goolsby knew a change of mindset was necessary if the Cyclones wanted to win the fifth set.
“We just had to be able to come out in that fifth set with a lot of energy,” Goolsby said.
Despite the pressure regarding the match, Goolsby once again led the team in kills with 17 in the match, averaging 3.4 per set.
This weekend, the Cyclones head to Champaign, Illinois, to wrap up the non-conference schedule as they’ll take on Eastern Illinois at 6 p.m. Friday, then Illinois at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
