The Cyclones will head to Texas to take on Baylor Saturday after losing a tough match to No. 5 Kansas State 3-0 Wednesday.

It was the first time all year in which Iowa State was unable to score more than 20 points in at least one game. The final scores of the match were 30-18, 30-16 and 30-17. The Cyclones fell to 11-14 overall and 3-11 in Big 12 play.

“Kansas State is a great team,” said head coach Linda Crum. “They’re definitely the best team in our conference.”

Senior Renae Pruess had seven kills. Redshirt freshman Nicole Lorenzen and redshirt sophomore Ashlie McWee added five and six kills respectively, but it wasn’t enough — Kansas State dominated the match both offensively and defensively.

“We started off Game 1 well,” Crum said. “There was a period where our offense went flat and we weren’t able to correct that and find a rhythm.”

The Wildcats hit .382 from the floor and collected 50 digs compared to the Cyclones hitting .074 and totaling 35 digs for the match.

While their offense might have been sluggish, the defense did it’s best to keep the Cyclones in the match. Seniors Lindsey Chapman and Dana Koziol, as well as junior Brittany Dalager, helped the Cyclone cause. Chapman had 21 assists and eight digs while Koziol and Dalager combined for 12 more digs.

“Our defense is our strong point,” Crum said. “We made some very good reads and our players made some great digs.”

Freshman Katie Churm had a career-best 11 digs, but it wasn’t enough to tame the Wildcats.

In Game 1, the Cyclones hit just .175 from the floor and had 13 kills compared to Kansas State’s 19 kills and .436 hitting percentage.

In Game 2, Iowa State’s hitting percentage fell to .103 while Kansas State’s rose to .469.

Iowa State will continue its road trip when the team heads to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor Saturday. First serve is set for 7 p.m. The Cyclones will look to improve after a loss, the Bears will hope to do the same.

Baylor is coming off a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Colorado Buffaloes. Baylor’s record is now 11-16 overall and 3-11 in conference play.

In preparation for the match, the Cyclones will be attempting to establish a rhythm on offense.

“I think that if we serve aggressively and handle the ball well, we should be able to do well,” Crum said. “When you’re an athlete, you respond to losses with an attitude of showing up the next day and correcting whatever went wrong and then preparing for your next opponent.”