Just hours after the announcement of ISU soccer’s 1-0 loss to Iowa blared through the loudspeakers at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, the ISU volleyball team also fell at the hands of the Hawkeyes — courtesy of the Iowa slide attack.

Iowa (5-3, 0-0 Big Ten) claimed its first win in volleyball against Iowa State (5-3, 0-0 Big 12) since 1997 Saturday, as the Cyclones fell in four sets (25-17, 17-25, 18-25, 26-28).

The loss marked the first occasion during ISU volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch’s tenure that the Cyclones dropped a match to the Hawkeyes.

After a successful 25-17 opening set victory, Iowa’s unique attack strategy — the slide attack — successfully shifted the momentum of the match, leading to three straight set wins for the Hawkeyes.

“What they did was just run the slide at us all night,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We really had a tough time stopping it.”

A slide attack, unlike a typical attack routine, involves additional movement from the attacker. For example, Jess Janota, Iowa’s middle blocker, would sneak behind the setter to her right and jump off her left foot on the opposite side of the setter for the attack. Loxley Keala, the setter for the Hawkeyes, would then use a back set to assist Janota on the slide.

This offensive scheme proved to be effective as the Hawkeyes — following their opening set loss — rebounded to record hitting percentages of .424, .500 and .391 in the final three sets, respectively. As Johnson-Lynch said, the Hawkeyes ran the slide all night, and the Cyclones could not find an answer.

“It’s very difficult when you don’t feel strong [defending the slide],” said sophomore Monique Harris. “We have to get better and move on from this situation.”

Although the Cyclones, who were set up in the 5-1 formation with setter Suzanne Horner still sidelined with a concussion, struggled to defend the slide attack during the latter half of the match, it wasn’t as effective early on. In the opening set, Iowa State held Iowa to just 17 points on a .188 hitting percentage.

Johnson-Lynch said what changed after the first set was the effectiveness of Iowa State’s serving. Without a challenging serve, the player with the first hit can pass the ball easily to the setter. With an accurate pass, the setter can line up on the net, the ideal spot for a setter running the slide attack.

With a good pass and set, the slide becomes that much more difficult to defend. It all goes back to the quality of the serve.

“We had to get their setter off the net, and we just couldn’t do that enough,” Johnson-Lynch said. “And [because of that] we didn’t slow down their slide.”

Not only did the slide attack generate a shift after the first set, but the overall rhythm on the Iowa side of the net helped shift momentum in its favor. The Hawkeyes’ defensive numbers began to improve and their overall chemistry received a boost as well.

Given the circumstances of the match — the annual Cy-Hawk game under the lights at Carver Hawkeye Arena — the crowd also added to the increased Hawkeye confidence after the second set.

For Iowa, once the momentum began to shift in its favor, there was no looking back.

“I think they really got in system, got that defense going [after the first set],” said sophomore Alexis Conaway, who led the Cyclones in kills Friday. “That really got them their confidence, and ours went down. There was a shift in the game.”

It wasn’t until the fourth set that the Cyclones began to threaten to take another game. With a late 23-20 lead, things were looking promising for a fifth set and a chance for Iowa State to end the night victorious. One way or another, the Hawkeyes found a way to take the fourth set and the match.

“[Iowa] was really, really aggressive at the end and made some spectacular defensive plays to keep the ball alive,” Johnson-Lynch said. “That’s momentum, that’s desire, that’s home court. That’s a rivalry right there.”