In the days leading up to Iowa State’s contest verses West Virginia on Oct. 4, ISU volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch never once described the match to her players as a must-win.

After the Cyclones came out victorious in four sets, Johnson-Lynch admitted that a must-win is exactly what the West Virginia match was.

“At home, you have got to get every single match you possibly can in this conference,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We do not talk about must-wins, we do not want to add pressure, but I certainly felt that. To get to where we want to be at the end of the year, we have to win matches like this.”

The ISU volleyball team (8-5, 1-2 Big 12) dropped its two opening conference matches on the road to Texas Christian and Texas, sending the Cyclones reeling into a crisis of confidence.

Falling behind to West Virginia (11-6, 1-2 Big 12) after holding a lead through the majority of the first set did not help the Cyclones’ cause.

Johnson-Lynch said it was then that she had a heart-to-heart with her team that had little to do with the technical aspects of volleyball and much more to do with the attitude that must exist as the foundation of pursuits on the court.

“Some of [the conversation] probably can not be repeated … but mostly it was if you want to be out here, you need to compete,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We need people to compete and fight for their place on the floor and fight for the win.”

While young talent, such as sophomore Ciara Capezio and freshman Alexis Conaway, has shone brightest for the Cyclones halfway through the season, it was the roster’s most decorated and tenured veterans that answered the call.

“I was angry,” said junior Mackenzie Bigbee, an All-American honorable mention selection last year who has struggled early this season. “[I said] take this emotion you are feeling now and channel that and use it out on the court.”

Bigbee channeled her way to nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage on the afternoon, including a handful of crucial points in the third set after Iowa State climbed back into the match in the second.

As well as Bigbee played, the day belonged to senior Victoria Hurtt.

Hurtt was an All-American honorable mention two years ago, but her production dropped in 2013 and she has been battling through a foot injury for most of the 2014 campaign.

Hurtt tallied a season-high 20 kills on 47 attempts and accounted for two of the team’s six total blocks, helping the Cyclones gain a victory they desperately needed.

Johnson-Lynch said it was only a matter of time.

“Hurtt wants this bad,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She wants to be great, and I think she is kind of figuring out over the last week or two what it will take from her to help be the leader we need her to be.”

The swing set came in the third set. It was a spot where Iowa State had failed only a week before against Texas Christian — when the match was tied 1-1 and the team had multiple opportunities at set points to claim a 2-1 lead.

The Cyclones ultimately fell in the third set to the Horned Frogs, 30-28, and came out deflated in the fourth, which cost them the match.

Against West Virginia, Iowa State created a different narrative. The Cyclones won the third set decisively by a score of 25-17 and never looked back.

“I think definitely it was a [turning point],” said junior Caitlin Nolan. “In the locker room, before the third set, we put an emphasis on coming out strong because in the past we have come out flat and then we let [our opponents] have a big jump on us.”

The Cyclones took the fourth set with relative ease, ending the match 3-1 on the strength of three consecutive set victories to close it out.

Johnson-Lynch summed up the emotional state of the team as well as the important question it answered about itself with its first Big 12 win of the year.

“I am sure there is some relief there,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Sometimes, until you actually win, you wonder, ‘Are we good? Am I good?’ It can be really helpful for morale to get a win.”

Bigbee echoed her coach’s comments after the match.

“Coming back from that and getting our first conference win, it is just a really big confidence boost,” Bigbee said. “We have kind of proven ourselves to ourselves.”