In what seems to be a nagging occurrence for the ISU volleyball squad, a match that began with a flourish ended in disappointment as the team lost 3-1 to Texas Tech on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.

When game one started, it appeared that Iowa State had met its equal in terms of talent. The teams traded points back and forth.

A nail-biting finish went the Cyclones’ way when they grabbed the 30-28 win.

The tables turned in game two, and the score flipped in favor of the Red Raiders. A rugged start by Iowa State kept the game volleying back and forth until Texas Tech made a surge for the 30-28 win.

After intermission, everything went downhill for the Cyclones.

“We just didn’t come out with the same effort, and we didn’t follow through,” said ISU junior setter Amanda Craig. “It wasn’t the same six people out there who started so strong before.”

Texas Tech came out in fighting fashion and took games three and four by scores of 30-27 and 30-22, moving the Cyclones to a 7-4 overall record and 1-3 in Big 12 play.

The Red Raiders improve to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in league action.

Red Raider blocks and scrappy play gave Tech the edge, though ISU head coach Linda Crum said her team didn’t do much to stop it.

“All the damage was done on our side of the court. We were nothing close to what we are capable of doing,” Crum said. “We are disappointed and embarrassed with what we put on the court.”

Crum highlighted unforced hitting errors as a touchstone to the Cyclones’ downfall. Iowa State miscalculated on 38 kill attempts compared to Texas Tech’s 22. The Cyclones were held to a .098 hitting percentage, their second-worst of the season.

The Red Raiders had a 14-block night, while Iowa State managed eight, led by four assisted blocks from junior Katie Kruenegel.

Though Iowa State had only eight service errors to Texas Tech’s 19 and racked up 102 team digs, the fight wasn’t there, Craig said.

“We are upset; these were fixable mistakes,” she said. “We need to learn to come out with the same effort and fight and not take a team for granted.”

Craig, the team’s primary setter, tallied 43 assists on the night, as well as 15 digs.

Five Cyclones made their way into double digits in digs, led by sophomore libero Katie Churm and senior Brittany Dalager, who each recorded 26. This was the most for any player in the team’s 2004 campaign and a new career mark for Churm.

Katie Jessen led Iowa State in kills with 17, followed by 12 from Dalager. Junior Ashlie McWee garnered the best hitting percentage of the team with a .222 mark.

Texas Tech was led by senior hitter Kelly Johnson, who dominated the game with 20 kills and 19 digs.

Digs were also an important factor for the Red Raiders as four players reached double digits. Senior setter Laura Grote finished with 29 assists and 20 digs.

Texas Tech head coach Nancy Todd said her team needed this win on the road.

“After intermission, we stayed aggressive and didn’t play hesitant, even with our service errors,” Todd said. “We kept swinging away, and even with pretty sloppy play, we were able to come through.”

Todd also said if either side had had a take-charge attitude early on, it could have made a difference.

Crum said the time before the team’s next match will be full of decisions, including ones about her starting lineup.

“We have to create more competition, and we have to have people who will fight to be on that court,” she said. “We may have to reevaluate who we put out there.”