Just looking at the stats, it seems the ISU volleyball team had a good match at Texas A&M on Saturday.

Ten blocks and 25 digs from freshman libero Ashley Mass and three hitters in double-figures for kills, including a career-high 20 from senior right-side Lauren Cummings, all make for impressive numbers.

But the one number that really matters – games won – was where the Cyclones suffered, dropped a tough match 3-1 (30-18, 28-30, 36-34, 30-27) in College Station, Texas.

A 1 p.m. start time may have contributed to the slow start for Iowa State.

“We need to start coming out a little more alert,” said coach Christy Johnson. “We can’t keep getting our butts kicked in the first game and then wake up.”

That is exactly what happened to the Cyclones on Saturday. After getting demolished in the opening game, the team came back and took game two.

Cummings led the way in the lone ISU win, hitting .538 with seven kills as the Cyclones tied it up going into the intermission.

“I thought we played hard and that we fought,” Johnson said. “You can tell by the score, except for the first game.”

Despite taking game three to extra points and making a late push in the fourth game, Iowa State dropped both and eventually the match. There were just too many opportunities the Cyclones failed to capitalize on.

“There were some situations where our hitters were one-on-one and didn’t put the ball away,” Johnson said.

The loss was the fourth in the past five road games for Iowa State. But as the team heads down the stretch with a chance at going to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, the road woes shouldn’t be much of a factor. Four of the last six matches for the Cyclones are in Ames.