Peterson: Iowa State volleyball's Juicy Wiggle of a night to remember at Hilton Coliseum

Something seemed missing from the entertaining atmosphere that always defines Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday night.

Iowa State and top-ranked Texas were toward the end of what was a whale of a night in the women’s college volleyball world, when suddenly students, among the 2,500 or so fans, started chanting for the ever-popular “Juicy Wiggle.”

A staple inside Hilton, that tune wasn’t heard until about the time the Cyclones and Longhorns entered the game-clinching, tie-breaking fifth set.

“They cued it up, and you can just imagine what happened,” longtime Iowa State all-sports fan Charlie Case, of Cedar Rapids, told me Thursday morning. “The place went nuts. It was electric. I really think those students had a big role in sealing that victory.”

Another fan who attended, Barb Sanderson, went one better.

"Thrilling," she said. "Good example of not giving up. I'm hoarse from cheering so loudly, and constantly cheering. So proud of our women and the coaches.

"I love winning, but I especially like when my Cyclones beat Texas."

More:Iowa State volleyball defeats undefeated No. 1 Texas

Texas, which came into the night with 10 consecutive wins against Iowa State and a 14-0 overall record this season, proceeded to make three service errors in the fifth set. The final was a long serve that clinched the Cyclones' first win against a No. 1 team since a four-setter on Sept. 15, 2012, against Nebraska.

The Juicy Wiggle came, thanks to the fans. And almost right on cue, coach Christy Johnson-Lynch didn't waste much time in her postgame press conference before mentioning what was one of the team’s larger home crowds this season.

“What a night,” the Cyclones coach, now in her 18th season with the program, said on the post-game video I watched Thursday morning. “What an atmosphere. Our crowd carried us a lot in that match. They were electric and fantastic.”

So, of course, were players like Maya Duckworth, Eleanor Holthaus and Annie Hatch, each of whom had 14 kills. Morgan Brandt was significant, too, with 30 assists. Jaden Newsome added 21 more, Brooke Stonestreet had 25 digs − and the students frolicked to the “juicy wiggle.”

“We knew we had a lot of great fans, and a really loud atmosphere,” Hatch said. “We just went got it. We’ve got nothing to lose in that situation.”

I spoke with the CEO of Iowa State’s best-ever volleyball program at a spring Cyclones Tailgate function inside the Roof Garden Ballroom at Arnolds Park. We talked during the year-long 50-year celebration of Title IX.

We talked about that ruling’s effect on women’s athletics throughout the country, then we turned to her 2022 team.

“You’re always hopeful,” Johnson-Lynch told me.

More:Peterson: Let's not lose sight of the good Title IX has done for female athletes. And it can do more

Never too high. Never too low.  That’s the Christy Johnson-Lynch I’ve observed from afar. A few things during her postgame comments cemented that notion.

She mentioned that her team stayed “cool, calm and collected” when the match wasn’t always going their way.

“We have leaders that have pretty calm and cool personalities,” she said. “It’s an identity they have developed themselves.”

Then in the fourth set, when Iowa State tied it up, “I’m like wow, I think we might do this,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Her message during huddles seemed simple: “Be aggressive, swing high and hard,” she told her players. "Who cares what happens after that?”

That’s a coach showing her cool, calm and collected side.

“Sometimes in the fifth set, you start feeling a little freaked out, looking at the score,” Johnson-Lynch said. “(For her team) it was business as usual.”

Wednesday night’s success was the second Top-25 win of the season for Iowa State volleyball. The upset over No. 13 Baylor on Sept. 28 was the first against a ranked opponent since 2018.

“Let’s just go battle every day in practice, battle in matches,” Johnson-Lynch said of what beating Texas can do for the season. “We can be proud of whatever happens after that.”

As long as it includes the Juicy Wiggle.

Of course.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson embarked on his 50th year of writing sports for the Des Moines Register in December 2021. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter @RandyPete.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What role did fans play in Iowa State's volleyball upset of Texas?