The ISU volleyball team had to settle for a moral victory.

After playing tough against No. 1 Nebraska and winning a game against the Huskers for the first time since 1994, the Cyclones fell short in their upset bid.

“We did some really good things,” said coach Christy Johnson. “Just the fact that we took a game off of them is a huge plus.”

Iowa State is just the fifth team to take a game off the undefeated Cornhuskers this season.

Junior Lauren Cummings led the Cyclones early, ripping four quick kills as the Cyclones jumped out to a 8-6 lead in game one. Nebraska, however, wasn’t going to just lie down for the Cyclones. Two-time all-American Sarah Pavan helped mount a Cornhusker comeback as Nebraska slowly pulled even and then away. Every time Iowa State started to put together a run, Nebraska had a quick answer, never letting the Cyclones get any serious momentum as Nebraska cruised to a 30-20 win.

Game two was the complete opposite of the first game. It wasn’t until the third point of the game that Iowa State recorded its first block, amazing for a team that leads the conference in that category. But after that, the net belonged to the Cyclones. Senior Jessica Klein came in and fired the team up, denying the Cornhuskers three plays in a row. With the crowd of 2,500 in a frenzy, Klein added a quick kill and, suddenly, Iowa State had a 10-3 lead.

Nebraska looked poised to climb back into the game numerous times, but just like the Cornhuskers did to them in game one, the Cyclones met any Nebraska rally head on. The Cyclones kept a safe lead en route to a dominating win over the top-ranked Cornhuskers, 30-22.

“[Game two] showed that we do have the potential to go far,” Johnson said. “I think we took the program to a higher level tonight. We showed that we can play with the No. 1 team in the nation.”

One big factor in game two was the Cyclone defense. After a mediocre game one, Iowa State came alive with six blocks and 24 digs. Senior Nicole Lorenzen tallied eight digs in game two alone on her way to a career-high 22 for the match. Junior Laura Cady also added a career-high 22 digs.

“We just have to make sure we defend everything we can,” Lorenzen said. “I think tonight was a great example of what we can do when we focus really hard.”

Both game three and four saw Iowa State push Nebraska, but the Cyclones were never able to recapture the energy they had in game two. Despite an all-out effort and a never-say-die attitude, Nebraska proved to be too much. The Cyclones dropped both games (30-27, 30-25) and the match.

“I think we got a little worn-down mentally in game four,” Johnson said. “When you play a team like that, it is hard to play excited and enthusiastic for two hours.”

Despite the loss, Iowa State views the match as a step forward. There is a lot to take away from the match as the Cyclones move into the last weeks of the season.

“We didn’t play perfect, but I think we played aggressive and didn’t play scared, even for one point,” Johnson said. “We played our hearts out, and that for me is a victory.”