Iowa State endured its first five-game match of the season but eventually fell to Baylor, a team the Cyclones defeated easily 3-1 earlier in the season Sept. 21.

The 3-2 (30-27, 27-30, 23-30, 30-22, 15-13) loss dropped the Cyclones to 13-11 overall and 6-7 in the Big 12, their first dip below .500 this season. Baylor improved to 14-10 and 6-7 in the conference.

“They were a completely different team tonight, and that was evident in the matches they had won before us,” said coach Christy Johnson. “We don’t feel bad about taking them to five games at all; we’re just disappointed that we had opportunities we didn’t use.”

One big difference was the return of middle blocker Desiree Guilliard-Young and outside hitter Kelly Spriggs, who didn’t play in the first meeting of the two teams. The two combined for 21 kills and 15 blocks in the match.

“We did a good job of slowing the two returning players, but other players stepped up because of that,” Johnson said. “That was a good move on Baylor’s part.”

Iowa State didn’t have many good moves, though, as its passing troubles started in the opening game and continued all throughout the match. Baylor maintained a solid serving game, but once the Cyclones were able to find success with the first pass, they were able to terminate. The game was tied at 24 until the Bears’ blocking went into full effect, frustrating the ISU hitters. Baylor pushed at the end and came through with the 30-27 win.

Game two began with an ace from Katie Jessen, and the game remained close until Katie Churm came through with an ace to break the spell. She rattled off five points, including two aces, and the Cyclones led 24-19 after a kill from Katie Kruenegel.

Baylor retorted with four serving points from libero Kristen Schramek, but Iowa State held its balance and secured the 30-27 win.

“We did decent serving but struggled at passing at times, and we really had to battle back and forth,” Churm said.

After a shaky start in the third game, Iowa State rebounded in memorable fashion. The Cyclones’ lopsided play found them behind 8-12 at their first timeout, and behind six more at their next. But once Nicole Lorenzen stepped behind the line to serve, all doubts were left to rest.

Iowa State went on a 14-0 run with a steady serving jag and three aces by Lorenzen. The game was out of reach for Baylor when a thunderous shot by Erin Boeve iced the game 30-23.

The celebration was cut short for Iowa State as it fell apart at the seams in game four, sinking under Baylor’s towering offense and potent defense. The Cyclones’ effort dwindled, and Baylor claimed a nine-point lead before taking the 30-22 win.

“It’s hard to pinpoint where it went wrong, but I know when we served well, we had them out of their system,” Lorenzen said. “But in game four we missed a lot of serves, and they came back to haunt us.”

The fifth game began, and Laura Cady delivered an ace to tie the game at six. Iowa State would take a two-point advantage, and points were batted back and forth on the high-tension court. As Baylor reached game point, Guilliard-Young ended the match by slamming a kill down Iowa State’s throat for 15-13 win.

“We’re not used to being in five games, and you try to imagine something like that in practice but it’s never the same,” Lorenzen said. “Being aggressive during matches like those means taking risks, but subconsciously you don’t want to be the one to make the mistake.”

Guilliard-Young and Spriggs proved to be driving forces for Baylor, and Nicole LeBlanc also added 15 kills, tied with Iowa State’s Jessen for a match-high. Each team had two other hitters in double figures.

The Bears hit .177 to the Cyclones’ .174 and recorded five more blocks. Iowa State garnered 11 more digs than Baylor, including 22 from Churm.