With a roster that includes only four upperclassmen, it was inevitable that a great deal of learning would take place for the ISU volleyball team this season.

It was hoped that the learning would be able to coincide with wins, but that has not been the case for much of the season thus far.

The Cyclones (5-4) dropped two of three matches in Lincoln, Neb., this past weekend and are 1-4 in their last five matches, but they are hoping that what they’ve been taking away from these losses will build towards success later in the season.

“I think it was a learning experience,” said ISU senior libero Kristen Hahn of the weekend in Nebraska. “It was a great experience to play in front of such a huge crowd on Saturday, and I think we progressively got better and had our best game on Saturday night. Although the results don’t show it, I felt we played really well.”

Saturday night’s game saw the Cyclones fall in straight sets to No. 12 Nebraska (7-1), increasing the Huskers’ all-time series lead to 81-2. The final two sets of the match were won 25-22 and 27-25 by Nebraska but are still being referred to by players and coaches as the best Iowa State has played all year.

The Cyclones were also 5-4 after nine matches last season and ended up making it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, which is providing encouragement that this year’s team could achieve a similar if not greater outcome.

“We’re learning a lot and we’re taking some lumps, but that’s the price you’ve got to pay sometimes,” said ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I’m just as excited and encouraged about the team; I’m honestly not that concerned about the record. To me, it’s ‘How can we get the best people on the court at the end of the year?’ and we’re figuring that out.”

Johnson-Lynch said the Cyclones have the fourth-toughest preseason schedule in the country this season, which when compared to last season has helped contribute to her optimism toward upcoming matches.

These strong opponents have done a good job of exploiting Iowa State’s weaknesses early on and helped show the team what needs to be honed if a tournament run is to become a possibility.

“It does get pretty frustrating, but at the same time it’s still early in the season,” said ISU sophomore right side hitter Mackenzie Bigbee. “We still have a lot to learn. I think we are strides ahead of where we were last year at this time, so as frustrating as it is, it’ll help us in the long run.”

The long run begins with the Cy-Hawk match in Iowa City on Saturday against an 8-2 Hawkeye team that the Cyclones have defeated each of the past seven seasons.

Beyond that lies the ominous Big 12 schedule, which begins against Baylor on Sept. 28. In the meantime, Iowa State will do its best to solidify a lineup.

“We’re still tweaking our lineup,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’ve played a couple different people in a couple different spots. We’re still trying to figure that out, that’s what preseason’s for. I think by Baylor we’ll be pretty close to knowing who is best where.”