What seemed like the most basic and individual skill on the court is the one that kept the ISU volleyball team from victory Tuesday night.

Iowa State fell in a short 3-0 sweep to No. 25 Colorado at Hilton Coliseum in a Big 12 conference match. A total of 12 serving errors on the night could have made the difference in the defeat, especially in game one, in which Colorado’s margin of victory was two points. The fifth straight conference loss dropped Iowa State to 7-6 overall and 1-5 in the Big 12.

Game one presented the Buffaloes with a fired-up Cyclone team that stayed neck-and-neck with them. Six service errors, however, turned in to six Colorado points and, ultimately, the 30-28 win.

The second game fared worse for the Cyclones, despite a point-for-point run in the contest. Serving and hitting errors racked up as Iowa State fell 30-25 before intermission.

“We need to execute when we’re close like that, and we can’t have the errors,” said ISU head coach Linda Crum. “We can make mistakes at any time, but I’m disappointed we didn’t take advantage of the situation. We could have been more competitive.”

With a chance to redeem itself in the third game, Iowa State fell short in its passing game and left setter Amanda Craig with limited options. The Buffaloes handily disposed of the Cyclones 30-20.

“Our setter has two to three choices every time we pass well, and that first contact is so important,” Crum said. “We stopped handling the ball.”

A lack of communication and a flat start didn’t help the Cyclones’ woes.

“It’s frustrating after we did well in games one and two with streaks of good digging and blocking,” said sophomore libero Katie Churm. “In the third, the passes weren’t there, and we seemed to give up.”

The Cyclones’ back row leader said she felt the team covered the left side well but lacked on the right in a night of dominant Colorado outside hitting. In what Crum suspected would be similar to Kansas State’s offense, the Buffaloes’ outsides were the strength of the team.

Junior Allie Griffin blasted 14 kills against the Cyclones and scooped up a career-high 18 digs. Maragda Santillana, slow to jump out in the first two games, let her presence be known in game three and totaled 17 kills on the night. Colorado tallied 52 kills to Iowa State’s 45, even though the Cyclones had six more attempts.

Brittany Dalager notched another double-double in the contest, slamming 10 kills and making 14 saves. The senior leader was adamant about the changes the team needs to make.

“We need to worry about what’s on our side of the court and keep balls in play so we can defend,” Dalager said.

Sophomore Katie Jessen racked up 11 kills to lead the Cyclones. Churm had a team-high 15 digs, while Craig dished out 39 assists on the night.