The ISU volleyball team has become well-traveled during the past two weeks, playing four of its five matches away from home and posting a 3-1 record in those four road contests.

Iowa State made a pit stop in Ames after narrowly escaping Northern Iowa in five sets on Sept. 24, and now they are on to Fort Worth, Texas and the Big 12 conference opener against Texas Christian University.

While ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch has said that she prefers three set matches whenever she can get them, the five set thriller against Northern Iowa may have been a necessary experience if Iowa State hopes to achieve road success in conference play.

“It has been lucky that we have had so many games at home, so we have been comfortable,” said redshirt sophomore Natalie Vondrak. “We have to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Vondrak cited the atmosphere on the road as being the greatest source of discomfort and the venue at TCU is likely to provide circumstances that will mirror what Iowa State encountered at Northern Iowa.

“[The challenge is] maintaining composure in some of these environments,” Johnson-Lynch said. “TCU’s gym is smaller but it is packed.”

Johnson-Lynch added that the physical elements from one arena to the next can vary drastically, which has the potential to affect the passing and serving aspects of her team’s plays.

Johnson-Lynch’s philosophy reflects her concerns, as she combats the disadvantage by trying to get her team practice time in the arena the night before the match as well as the day of it. She said this is done in an effort to help her players with the acclimation process.

“Serving and passing is such an important part of our game and serving and passing in different gyms-it is huge,” Johnson-Lynch said. “The lighting, the ceiling, the colors, the feel, the temperature-everything can really affect your serve and pass game.”

Senior hitter Victoria Hurtt said that the Cyclones must be sharp in every aspect of the match against the Horned Frogs if they want to take the first step toward the team’s stated goals.

“We want to win a Big 12 championship, so coming out strong is very important for us,” Hurtt said.

As far as the conference is concerned, Hurtt described TCU as “middle of the road” but also called the ISU opponent “talented.”

Hurtt reiterated that no Big 12 wins come easily; especially those played outside of Ames.

Johnson-Lynch said that both of her team’s recent treks, as well as the entirety of its schedule thus far, have helped elevate the Cyclones to a level where a Big 12 championship is a realistic goal.

“I think in general that [the] schedule has really prepared us to know what we need to be for the Big 12 and even to advance in the NCAA’s,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Iowa State overcame Texas Christian twice last season, winning 3-0 at home and slipping past the Horned Frogs 3-2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Cyclones will take the court on Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. for their first of 18 conference matches.