Iowa State volleyball fell in straight sets to Iowa on Saturday, closing out a 2-1 weekend at the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament in Coralville, Iowa. The Cyclones were unable to gain momentum from the defense at the net, recording just six blocks as a team during the match.

The Hawkeyes controlled the early portions of the opening set, pulling out to a 17-12 lead thanks to five kills from Courtney Buzzerio. Iowa would not let up, scoring a 25-20 set win to begin the match. Defense at the net was a major issue during the first set for Iowa State, as nearly every Hawkeye attack got through the first line of defense.

The second set was much closer early on, as strong play from middle blocker Candelaria Herrera, brought the score to a tie at 14 points each. From that point on Iowa controlled the set, riding a 5-0 run to a 25-19 set win. Iowa’s attack was dominant during the set, as the team put up a monstrous .467 hitting percentage.

After the team’s first four points came off Hawkeye errors, Iowa rebounded to take an 8-5 lead. Both teams would go back and forth before an Iowa State took a timeout as it trailed 16-13. The Cyclones were not able to climb back into the match after the timeout, losing the third and final set 25-21. 

Candelaria Herrera led the team offensively, recording nine kills in the final two sets despite the loss. Herrera was the only player on the team to finish with double-digit kills. Despite hitting at a solid rate as a team, Iowa State was not able to vault themselves to a win.

Iowa State will look to rebound from Saturday’s loss on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against UNI.