A crushing first game kept the ISU volleyball team out of contention against No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln.

The Huskers jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, hitting .556 and winning the match in a 30-8 stomping.

Nebraska would take the next two games in scores of 30-24 and 30-16 to sweep the Cyclones.

“That game was a combination of things,” said coach Christy Johnson. “They have jump servers who are very tough, and we had trouble putting up a pass against them.

“We were a little intimidated hitting, and when we saw that big block we were either too careful or just tried to keep it in play.”

The second game found Iowa State in more control, not as leery of the Nebraska block, as it started finding ways to score.

The Cyclones surged ahead with a 10-6 lead, but Nebraska rallied by taking nine of the next 10 points. The gap was cut to 21-20 before the Huskers sparked a 9-4 run to secure the game.

“In the second game, we started passing better and hitting balls off their block,” Johnson said.

“I think we had to get that first game out of our system.”

Erin Boeve had five kills in the second game, and the team hit a collective .146.

The Cyclones couldn’t keep up with the powerhouse Huskers in the third game, and a 10-5 lead was all Nebraska needed to run away with the match.

“The next time we play them we really have to work on receiving, because their jump serves are great and come at you pretty fast,” Johnson said.

“We need to score off the big block and not be careful to avoid it. We also said that if they gave us an easy ball that we had to get it, but we didn’t pick up some of the tips and rolls they gave us.”

Boeve led the Cyclones with 10 kills, while senior Amanda Craig churned out 19 assists and 13 digs.

“Erin had a great match for us, and it was encouraging to see because she’s been struggling a little lately,” Johnson said. “Teams focus on her and try to shut her down, and she worked hard at staying aggressive. She hung in there with all the blocks and had a really nice defensive night.”

Husker freshman Jordan Larson tallied 15 kills to lead Nebraska, while teammates Sarah Pavan and Melissa Elmer had 13 and 12 kills, respectively.

Johnson said the team will use this as a learning experience, and hopefully can take that knowledge into upcoming matches.

“Most teams have a big physical block, and we can’t be afraid of that,” she said. “We are able to score against a physical team like Nebraska, and we can’t be intimidated by anyone.”