Starting fast has been an important part of the success of the No. 22 ISU volleyball team and will continue to be so as the squad travels to No. 14 Kansas State as well as Texas Tech.

With ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch, the Cyclones (8-5, 2-1 Big 12) are 128-18 when winning the first set.

“I think it’s really important,” said libero Kristen Hahn about winning the first set. “It’s maybe something we don’t stress as much as we should and I don’t know if anyone else really knows that. That’s something I know that when we win in the first game, we are typically going to win the whole match. [Winning the first set is] hard if we’re not getting ourselves going [during warmups].”

Going into the team’s most recent road match — a loss against Kansas — outside hitter Rachel Hockaday felt the team wasn’t focused enough when practicing leading up to the match.

To continue to win 88 percent or more of the matches after taking set one, Hockaday said Iowa State will need to be focused from first serve and not begin to get focused in the third set when facing an 0-2 start to the match.

“It’s so much harder to come back when you start slow and start down, especially when you’re away [from home],” Hockaday said. “It’s a little easier when you’re at Hilton [Coliseum] and the fans are on our side. In the Big 12, home court advantage is key and so coming in and being ready from point one is huge.”

Johnson-Lynch didn’t necessarily get the feeling before the match that her squad would struggle offensively against Kansas but thought the Jayhawks did well on offense at attacking and making it tougher for the Cyclone offense to create opportunities.

“I actually try not to watch warmups because it’s not necessarily a reflection of how you’re going to play,” Johnson-Lynch said with a slight laugh.”[Kansas] attacked the ball really difficult and made it hard to control the dig and get a good set out of it. I felt like we were a little bit off because of that.”

After the loss, Hockaday said there was a different level of focus on the team going into the match against TCU — a 3-0 ISU victory.

To continue the success after the win against TCU, Hahn said the ISU offense will have to make perfect passes nearly every time in order to get a good set in order for the hitters to make a play.

“Getting as many balls as I can possibly [get]; it helps us out a lot and gives us more chances,” Hahn said of her role in aiding the offense. “My goal is to get us as many chances as possible.”

Iowa State will travel to Kansas State on Wednesday in a match beginning at 7 p.m. and then take on Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. First serve against the Red Raiders will be at 11 a.m.