Going into Saturday's match, the K-State volleyball team had two options: take sole possession of fourth place in the Big 12 Conference or go home tied for fifth.
Nataly Korobkova and the 16th-ranked Wildcats chose the first option. Iowa State was left with the second.
K-State (14-5, 6-3) beat the Cyclones (11-8, 5-4) 3-0 in Ames, Iowa, by scores of 30-24, 30-25, 30-27.
Korobkova led the Wildcat attack, recording her fifth double-double this season with 18 kills and 10 digs.
Rita Liliom was the only other Wildcat to finish with double-digit kills. Liliom amassed 14 on .216 hitting, while Korobkova hit .361 on 36 attacks.
Coach Suzie Fritz has said several times this season she wants the Wildcats to have an aggressive serving attack, and her team came through Saturday.
K-State out-served Iowa State, tallying 10 aces to the Cyclones' two. Sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Chipman led the Wildcats, chalking up three. Rita Liliom and Jenny Jantsch both finished with two aces.
Senior libero Angie Lastra led K-State in digs, tallying 23 of the team's 63. Lastra's performance marks her sixth match this season of 20 or more digs.
The Wildcats have struggled this season in the first game, but not against the Cyclones. K-State led the entire game, with Iowa State's closest push coming at 10-11. The Wildcats then posted four-straight points, and the Cyclones could never close the gap.
The Cyclones committed a number of mistakes during the match, including seven service errors, 10 receiving errors and four blocking errors.
However, Iowa State had four players finish with 10 or more digs, led by Ashley Mass, who finished with 18. The Cyclones' attack featured Jen Malcom and Lauren Cummings, who finished with 12 and 13 kills, respectively.
Iowa State stuck with the Wildcats in game two, as the score was tied at 22-22. The Cyclones were unable to hold on and committed five errors in the next seven points.
In game three, the Cyclones jumped ahead early 4-1. The Wildcats were not behind for long and posted a 9-2 run to lead 10-6. Iowa State led as late as 21-20, but could not contain the Wildcats' attack.
A season-high crowd of 2,157 were at Hilton Coliseum to witness the action.
K-State's next match is Wednesday against Texas Tech at Ahearn Field House. Play is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
