The ISU volleyball team has spent most of this season lying to coach Christy-Johnson Lynch, but it could not fool her forever.

The deception culminated on Nov. 2 with a loss to Texas that dropped Iowa State to 3-6 in conference play, as it appeared that the Cyclones were doomed to the dreaded purgatory of mediocrity.

Yet much like the rabbit in a magician’s hat, Iowa State’s true identity was always present, but merely concealed from sight.

On a mission to unearth her team’s true potential, Johnson-Lynch excavated the ISU season from the rubble of a .333 Big 12 winning percentage, applying the rarely used 6-2 rotation as her digging implement.

“Our numbers are so much better now than they have been,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We have more energy. Our team seems more motivated and we have more of a spring in our step. Win or lose, I already think [the 6-2] has changed the dynamics and the chemistry of the team.”

Since Iowa State made the switch, the truth has set the Cyclones free as they have reeled off three wins in a row, including their first two road victories of the conference season as well as two triumphs over top-25 teams.

“It was difficult in the sense that we had not practiced it a lot but it was really good for the team because we [play] better together in the 6-2,” said freshman defensive specialist Branen Berta.

Iowa State clawed its way to .500 in the Big 12 for the first time all year with its most recent victory against No. 24 Oklahoma on Nov. 12, perpetuating a turnaround that is unique in sports due to both its rarity and its bucking of immediate precedent.

Regardless of the sport or the level of competition, teams that post one win for every three matches through nine conference contests are not generally considered to be contenders for anything, even a winning record.

Iowa State, however, has a chance to achieve just that in its next match when it takes the court against Texas Christian on a search for redemption, not to mention a fourth straight win.

The Cyclones fell to the Horned Frogs in four sets back in late September, but that was a different team running a completely different system.

If the ISU team that lost to Texas Christian six weeks ago was a lie, then the ISU team the Horned Frogs will see Nov. 15 is the boldest of truths.

“I think it is a bit of an advantage,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We still have some questions to answer I think, and some things to sort in [the 6-2], but there is a certain advantage to it.”

When the season started eroding earlier in the year, Iowa State’s confidence began eroding with it, as the freshman-laden team openly admitted to questioning itself and to the doubt that was festering among the team ranks.

The timing of Iowa State’s resurgence has been impeccable, appearing at the height of the ISU struggles, and the results have been nothing short of auspicious.

Yet, junior libero and team leader Caitlin Nolan said the Cyclones are trying to manage their success more effectively than they managed their failures.

That management commences with avoiding getting too wrapped up in what a four-game winning streak and a plus .500 Big 12 standing might signify for Iowa State’s postseason aspirations.

“The record is great and everything, but it is really just what we can do to be better every game,” Nolan said. “It is really easy to look ahead and that is kind of the hard part.”

Neither Iowa State’s success nor its response to that success have come as a surprise to Johnson-Lynch.

She contended numerous times early in the season that her team had the greatest potential of any in the Big 12 to make meaningful strides as the year progressed, largely because of the number of underclassmen functioning in prevalent roles.

Progress is what Johnson-Lynch expected, even when she could not see it-a truth in which she always had faith.

Iowa State will attempt to further reinforce that faith when it takes the floor at 4:00 p.m. on Nov. 15 to battle Texas Christian at Hilton Coliseum.