LINCOLN, Neb. — This season’s senior class will be able to carry something with them that no other class could: a win against Nebraska. While their last time playing Nebraska didn’t end well — the Cornhuskers beat the Cyclones in three sets (25-23, 25-15, 25-18) — the matchup still will be missed.

“I’m really sad it was my last game in Lincoln,” said senior right-side Kelsey Petersen, a Kearney, Neb., native. “All my family gets to come and it’s not that far, so it’s good to play here.”

Iowa State has five Nebraskans on the team, three of whom are seniors. Getting to play the Cornhuskers twice a year had been good for the players’ morale. With Nebraska now in the Big Ten conference, the annual matchup is in jeopardy.

“It’s always awesome playing them twice a year,” said senior outside hitter Carly Jenson. “We’ll always play them in preseason, though, so that’s good for us.”

Jenson and senior defensive specialist Caitlin Mahoney also played their last game against Nebraska, barring an NCAA tournament matchup. While Jenson prefers to play at the Nebraska Coliseum when in Lincoln, she said she was impressed with the crowd that showed up at the Devaney Sports Center.

Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch was even able to recall playing some of her games at the Devaney Sports Center during her playing days at Nebraska.

“My freshman year, we played here while the Coliseum was being renovated,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I think we played here once a year during those other years.”

Nebraska moved its record to 80-1 all-time against Iowa State with the victory. While the Cyclones know they could have had a better showing, they are taking it as a learning opportunity.

“This isn’t the end for us,” Petersen said. “We’re going to move on and learn from this. We’d rather lose to them now than in the big tournament. We’re going to learn our lessons here.”