AMES — For the second straight night the Cyclones found themselves down two sets to one, but this time they found themselves on the losing side after the fifth set, (25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 25-23, 17-19).

The match played out almost exactly like Friday night’s match, with the Cyclones taking the first set, followed by Kansas winning two sets. Instead of winning the fourth and fifth sets, the Cyclones could only take the fourth, losing the fifth 19-17.

Despite the loss, there were still a lot of positives that came out of the weekend.

“[Kansas] played great, it was a great battle, but I am so proud of how we played. Couldn’t get much closer than this, so I’m really proud of the weekend we put together,” Iowa State head coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said.

The Cyclones took down the No. 14 team in the country Friday night and had the Jayhawks on the ropes once again due to stellar nights for a few Cyclones.

Four Cyclones had 14 or more kills in a match for the first time this season. Maya Duckworth led the way with 19, Nayeli Gonzalez and Lilly Wachholz each had 15, while Alexis Engelbrecht was right behind with 14.

This type of production showed that despite the loss, the Cyclones are playing some of their best volleyball, especially on offense.

“I think we’re playing our best volleyball of the season, and that’s what you hope for in November,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Heading down the final stretch, there are still a few things the Cyclones will look to improve before a potential postseason run.

“We need to play a little better defense, and blocking will be a focus for us, but first we need to rest and recover,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Blocking was an area which may have cost the Cyclones the sweep. In the match, they were outblocked 13-7, while also committing five blocking errors.

The Cyclones will return to action Wednesday against the defending national champions Texas in Austin, Texas. The match will begin at 6 p.m.