After starting the match with a convincing 2-0 lead, Iowa State lost three straight sets to lose the final non-conference game against Syracuse.

“We have a little bit of a theme going where we start strong, we’re prepared, we’re serving tough and then when that other team starts to get into a better rhythm we tense up and don’t really execute what we need to be doing,” coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said.

Entering the match versus Iowa State, Syracuse had a 3-4 record.

Three of Syracuse’s losses came from AVCA Top 25 teams in then-ranked No. 3 Brigham Young 3-0, No. 10 USC 3-2 and No. 25 Marquette 3-1.

To begin the Cyclone Classic, Syracuse beat Wyoming 3-2 and lost to Iowa 3-2.

The Cyclones swept Wyoming and lost to Iowa 3-1 during the Cyclone Classic.

In the first set, Iowa State won 25-18 behind five team blocks and a .355 team hitting percentage while limiting Syracuse to a .029 hitting percentage.

Candelaria Herrera, who played her second game at middle blocker, tallied four block assists and three kills on a .600 hitting percentage in the set.

Herrera was switched from outside hitter to middle blocker after Avery Rhodes suffered a season ending hip injury and Meegan Hart broke a finger. Hart’s time out is unknown.

The second set saw Iowa State’s hitting percentage climb to .432 as the Cyclones tallied 17 kills. Jess Schaben had seven kills and Josie Herbst had five.

Johnson-Lynch said the Iowa State attack was able to thrive in those first two sets in part because Iowa State giving their defense enough pressure that their setter was forced away from the net which caused hitting errors.

Syracuse had 12 attacking errors to Iowa State’s three in those sets.

Despite winning the first two sets handedly, Iowa State still had five service errors in each set, which was a problem for the Cyclones versus Iowa. The rest of the game, Iowa State only had three more.

Then in the third set, Iowa State’s attack slowed down as Iowa State had 13 kills on a .163 hitting percentage and Syracuse had 17 kills on a .222 hitting percentage.

Schaben said she saw a noticeable change in both teams energy after the second set.

“I feel like they just started playing and they were pretty tight I feel like the first two sets when we were just going off. The roles kinda switched almost,” Schaben said.

Grace Lazard said that she can tell when the team’s energy and focus begins to fade as player’s start to make unforced errors and start not going for balls.

In the game, Lazard had 11 kills, a .310 hitting percentage, three block assists and three service errors.

Lazard said once that begins, it’s hard to reverse.

“You start to see people’s body language start to change and from then on it just continues,” Lazard said.

Syracuse was able to push the match to a fifth set after taking the fourth 25-21.

In the fifth and final set of the match, Syracuse dominated en route to a 15-9 win.

During the set, Syracuse had 11 kills on a .733 hitting percentage while Iowa State totaled six kills on a .286 hitting percentage as the Orange recorded two blocks.

The last three sets saw Iowa State commit 18 attacking errors to Syracuse’s 11.

“We just need to figure out a way to finish a game because that’s happened probably to us four or five times this season,” Schaben said.

Jess said that the team just isn’t clicking, but said she still thinks the team will click with time. She also said that while the players are good as individuals, they need to become better as a team.

As Iowa State sits at 7-6, Lazard said the tough out-of-conference schedule is preparing them for tournament play in December. She said that she believes there will be a payoff.

This non-conference schedule has seen Iowa State face four Top 25 teams and has had the Cyclones playing around three games a weekend.

“This has felt like survival the last two weeks like just survive and make it through,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Heading into the Big 12 season, Johnson-Lynch said that her primary goal is to rest and recover the team and get more time in the practice gym.

Due to the amount of games Iowa State was playing, Johnson-Lynch said she has had limited time to work with the players outside of a game setting.