Cyclones fall short of redemption in spring finale

Cory Weaver

Iowa State and Nebraska met on Saturday night at Hilton Coliseum, but the result proved all Big Red.

It was the first time the two teams have squared off since a 3-0 Nebraska sweep in Lincoln, Neb., last season and the 3-1 result this time around capped off the spring season for Iowa State.

Jamie Straube led the Cyclone offense with 15 kills, followed by Rachel Hockaday and Victoria Hurtt contributing 13 each.

Nebraska set the tone with a 25-16 victory in the first game but the Cyclones battled back to a 25-22 victory in the second.

In the third game, both teams were neck-and-neck from start to finish. The score was 25-25 before a long rally ensued. The ball finally fell on the ISU side of the net, giving Nebraska the game 27-25.

The Cornhuskers continued their momentum in the fourth game and beat the Cyclones 25-16 again, this time for the match.

Nebraska finished with just one more kill than the Cyclones, but the 15.5-4.0 blocking margin proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

With the loss, Iowa State ends its spring season 3-2 and now enters an offseason of open gyms and workouts before resuming play in August.