Iowa State had its chances in each set against Illinois, but was unable to capitalize as the Cyclones saw their season come to a close.

RPI No. 15 Iowa State (19-10, 10-6 Big 12) fell 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-18) to RPI No. 8 Illinois (26-7, 16-4 Big 10) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 6.

Facing the home-standing Illini at Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill., the Cyclones appeared ready to go toe-to-toe with a top-10 opponent.

In the first set that saw neither team build more than a three-point lead, Iowa State led late in the set at 20-19 and forced extra points before falling, 27-25.

Iowa State initially appeared unfazed by its loss in the first set as the Cyclones soared to a 13-10 lead midway through the set. Illinois roared back to knot the set at 14-14. With Iowa State’s hitters unable to find the mark, Illinois then reeled off a 7-0 run to put the set out of hand.

The third set told a similar tale, with Iowa State holding a 12-11 lead, only to collapse down the stretch as Illinois closed out the match on a 14-6 run.

First-team All-Big 10 outside hitter Jocelynn Birks spearheaded the Illinois attack with 23 kills, her second-highest mark on the season.

Illinois hit at .317 clip for the match, compared to .204 for Iowa State.

With its loss, Iowa State missed out on an opportunity to compete at Hilton Coliseum once more, as Ames is one of four regional host sites for the third and fourth rounds of the tournament.