The ISU women’s volleyball team logged three victories in the Cyclone Classic on Friday and Saturday, improving its record to 5-1 on the season. The Cyclones’ five wins on the season are already more than half of their win total from last year.

Iowa State suffered its first loss of the season against Stephen F. Austin in the championship match of the tournament Saturday, falling in three straight games (30-27, 30-16, 30-19).

“I thought that Stephen F. Austin played very well,” ISU coach Christy Johnson told ISU media relations after the championship game. “They run a quick offense.

“We saw things that we need to work on and we have time before we face four very good teams next week.”

Before their match with the Ladyjacks, the Cyclones recorded their first sweep of the season, bouncing the Drake Bulldogs 3-0 (30-21, 30-17, 30-16). Senior Amanda Craig had 34 assists in the win and sophomore Erin Boeve recorded 10 kills.

“[Saturday] went really well; it was fun to have some people on the bench come in and play,” said junior libero Katie Churm. “Everyone stepped up amazingly, and I think we really did well as a team.”

Iowa State started the tournament Friday afternoon against South Dakota State, defeating the Jackrabbits 3-1 (28-30, 30-23, 30-23, 31-29). Craig led Iowa State with 55 assists while junior Nicole Lorenzen logged her third double-double of the season, recording 14 digs and 13 kills.

“I wouldn’t say it was a very pretty match for us,” Johnson said. “They came through in the end, and that’s what we’re going to have to do all season.”

Churm said the team’s sluggish start to the match was not an indication of how the entire tournament would go.

“We started off slow,” she said. “Then big plays and getting excited and just firing up within ourselves really helped motivate us.”

Iowa State took its second win on Friday against Montana, winning 3-1 (30-19, 31-29, 27-30, 30-16). Junior Katie Jessen logged 64 assists and a career-high 25 kills against the Grizzlies.

“I didn’t even realize I had a career high,” Jessen said. “Everything was flowing, everything’s gelling; we’re all gelling, it’s just working for us.”

Boeve finished with 17 kills, while Churm led the Cyclones with 22 digs.

“We picked it up when we needed to,” said Craig, who added 63 assists of her own. “We would have liked to take [South Dakota State and Montana] in three games, but we let down a few times, and that’s why they took us to four.”

Craig and Boeve were named to the all-tournament team, while Stephen F. Austin’s Stephanie Figgers was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

The Cyclones head back to the court on Wednesday in Cedar Falls against Northern Iowa.