The Iowa State volleyball team took on the Texas Longhorns Wednesday night without key player Mandi Harms in the lineup due to an ankle injury. With Harms on the bench, the Cyclones needed to find ways to make up for the offensive loss.

Game one saw back-and-forth scoring with neither team taking a commanding lead. Down 19-15, Texas scored six consecutive points behind the serving of LaTonya Coates to take a 21-19 lead.

Iowa State then used a run of its own to regain the lead 23-21. With the score 26-all, Renae Pruess hit a kill to give the Cyclones the advantage.

A point by Texas and another kill by Pruess gave Iowa State the 28-27 lead. However, the Longhorns took the next three points and won the game 30-28.

“Game one I think we should have finished and won,” head coach Linda Crum said. “I think that would have made the match look really different by the time it was all said and done.”

Leading 17-14 in game two, the Longhorns rolled off six points to lengthen their lead to 23-15. Texas would maintain control and take the game 30-20.

The third game proved to be the tightest scoring battle, with four points being the biggest lead either team had.

A Texas service error and an Iowa State kill brought the Texas lead to 28-25, but they were able to get the final two points to win the game 30-26 and the match 3-0. The loss brings Iowa State’s record to 10-20 overall and 1-17 in Big 12 play. The Longhorns improve to 21-7 overall and 11-7 in league action.

“With Mandi not in our line-up, that is 15 to 20 kills that you have to replace for the match,” Crum said.

Starting in place of Harms was sophomore Kelly Melohn.

“Kelly took good swings,” player Brittany Dalager said. “We had to make up kills. Mandi has been averaging double-digit kills for us and we had to make that up somewhere.”

The Cyclones also made other adjustments to make up for Harms being out of the rotation.

“We left Renae Pruess in all the way around to try and have more offense in the front court and back court,” Crum said.

Crum also noted Dalager and Sara Stribe really stepped up offensively for the Cyclones.

“Brittany fills a very important role for us just with her defense and her passing and what she contributes offensively,” Crum said. “I thought Sara Stribe did a really good job of stepping up offensively.”

Dalager finished with 10 kills and 17 digs. Stribe contributed 33 assists, 13 digs and five kills. Pruess recorded 10 kills for the Cyclones while Melohn finished the match with six.

With Stribe the only senior on the court during the match, fans got a look at what the future holds for the Cyclone team.

“We have a good core,” Crum said. “We really have some depth coming into our program and currently in our program.”