After a blistering opening game, the ISU volleyball team couldn’t contain the lead and fell in four games to No. 12 Texas A&M on Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State came out early and matched the Aggies point-for-point. The swapping continued until the score was 25-24 in favor of Iowa State, when the Cyclones, led by a duo of Nicole Lorenzen kills, surged ahead for the win.

However, Texas A&M was a force to be reckoned with in the following games, sweeping Iowa State in margins of 30-21, 30-26 and 30-23.

“We had outstanding defense in the first game, passing well to set up our hitters,” said ISU head coach Linda Crum. “But we didn’t work as hard in the next games. We became tentative and let ourselves down.”

Texas A&M showcased its sparkling defense with never-say-die saves and a scrappy run of the court.

“A&M worked its tail off on defense. Going in we knew that their level of defense and ball control would be strong, as well as their physical hitting and blocking,” Crum said. “No question, they are a good team.”

Aggie head coach Laurie Corbelli said the Cyclones’ fight caught her team off-guard.

“We come in with a target on our backs, and trying to beat a team at home is always hard. Iowa State showed incredible fight, and we realized our fight wasn’t where it should be. Seeing that picked up our intensity and execution.”

Corbelli said the “huge arena” was unfamiliar to most of the venues the Aggies play in, and the open space threw off some serves at first. Even after the loss of starter Kendra Felder to an ankle injury in the first game, the Aggies stayed on the offensive.

“We adjusted well and refocused on our goal,” she said.

All-American Aggie Melissa Munsch pounded a match-high 20 kills on the night, followed by teammate Laura Jones with 18. Munsch completed the double-double with 19 digs to her credit. Four other Aggies garnered digs in double-digits.

Crum said she felt the team’s serving wasn’t as aggressive as desired. Iowa State had 12 service errors on the night. The squad’s struggles on defense also provided limited hitting options for the front row.

A spark for the Cyclones came behind the 19 kills of Katie Jessen, who failed to disappoint in her rotation.

Senior Brittany Dalager showed her all-around skills during the games. She followed Jessen with 15 kills in her return trip to the front of the court after a nagging shoulder injury.

“I’ve been trying to take it easy and limit my swings,” Dalager said. “We moved Nicole to the right side tonight, and she did a great job.”

Dalager also tallied 23 digs, while libero Katie Churm and Christine Smeele notched 17 and 12, respectively.

Lorenzen smashed 11 kills against the Aggies, along with six digs. Junior setter Amanda Craig ended the match with 57 assists.

Despite the disappointing loss, the team should learn from taking the early lead but not finishing.

“We took the lead for granted and relaxed a little bit. We should have stayed confident,” Jessen said.