Heading into Thursday’s match against Creighton, ISU volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said she thought her team’s toughest matches might be yet to come.

Through two tournaments in the spring exhibition season, the Cyclones had relatively smooth sailing before their match on April 17 against the Jays, a second-round NCAA tournament team from 2013.

Johnson-Lynch’s evaluation proved accurate as Iowa State lost 3-1 (30-32, 25-18, 23-25, 23-25) in a tightly-contested match hosted by Carroll High School in Carroll, Iowa.

In past seasons Iowa State has been a dominant serving team, but the Jays had the upper hand against the Cyclones in that department. Creighton recorded eight aces to the Cyclones’ five and had fewer service errors, committing 13 compared to 15 from Iowa State.

Leading the Cyclones on the night was sophomore outside hitter Ciara Capezio. Capezio recorded a double-double in kills and digs, recording 14 of each.

Fellow outside hitter, redshirt sophomore Morgan Kuhrt also contributed 14 kills and six digs.

Iowa State bested Creighton in hitting percentage .212 compared to .193, in part from a match-best .538 from redshirt sophomore middle blocker Natalie Vondrak. Junior libero Caitlin Nolan led the match with 27 digs.

The Cyclones were without junior starting rightside hitter Mackenzie Bigbee. According to the ISU athletic department, Bigbee rolled her ankle in practice during the week, but her sitting out was more of a precautionary decision.

Redshirt junior middle blocker Tory Knuth also did not compete, and has missed the duration of the spring season as she is recovering from offseason surgery.

Two Nebraska natives on Iowa State’s roster had the opportunity to square off against a home-state school Thursday. Junior defensive specialist Bria Rasmussen is from Grand Island, Neb. and redshirt freshman middle blocker Samara West is from Omaha, Neb., where Creighton is also located.

Rasmussen, West and the Cyclones will have another border battle to conclude their season at 2 p.m. April 19 at Hilton Coliseum when they take on Nebraska.