Several times this season, the Wildcat volleyball team has been pushed to the limit by an under-matched opponent.

K-State had matches extended to five games against both Kansas and Oklahoma, and the Wildcats engaged in seesaw battles with Baylor and Missouri. Each time, K-State was able to come out on top.

The No. 13 Wildcats (17-4, 7-3 Big 12 Conference) were again faced with a challenge Wednesday night by Iowa State (13-8, 5-5), but this time, they couldn't recover. They were upset in a 2-3 loss to the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa. K-State fell by scores of 25-20, 14-25, 25-13, 21-25 and 8-15.

The majority of the match's opening game was a back-and-forth battle until the Wildcats — trailing 20-21 — used a 5-0 run to secure the win. The second game, however, belonged to Iowa State. After scoring the game's first point, the Wildcats never led again, as the Cyclones used a series of short runs to bury K-State, 25-14.

With the match tied, 1-1, K-State regained the momentum in the third game. The Wildcats jumped out to an 8-3 lead — sparked by three kills from junior middle blocker Kelsey Chipman — to take the lead for good. Iowa State didn't score more than three consecutive points again as K-State coasted to the win and a 2-1 lead.

It appeared the Wildcats had the momentum to finish off the Cyclones, but Iowa State was able to respond in the fourth set with a 25-21 win, highlighted by a 14-4 run midway through the game. K-State held a slim lead early but wasn't able to fend off the late charge. Iowa State used the momentum from the fourth game to finish off the Wildcats in the finale, and they coasted to a 15-8 win in the fifth game.

Despite the loss, K-State again received strong performances from senior outside hitters Rita Liliom and Nataly Korobkova, who tallied 20 and 16 kills, respectively. Chipman also added 10 for the Wildcats. Iowa State was led by Victoria Henson, Rachel Hockaday and Jen Malcolm, who had 16, 15 and 13 kills on the night.

K-State will continue conference play when they take on Baylor in Waco, Texas, on Saturday. First serve is set for 7 p.m.