The only question remaining for Iowa State as it heads into the Big 12 tournament on April 24 in Fort Worth, Texas, is who the Cyclones will face.

The ISU tennis team (9-13, 1-8 Big 12) put a mark in the conference win column for the first time April 13 when it ousted West Virginia on the road by a score of 5-2 in its last Big 12 meet of the season.

The win also earned Iowa State the eighth seed in the upcoming conference tournament, an easier draw than if the Cyclones had fallen to West Virginia and been slotted in the ninth position.

The battle for the No. 6 and 7 seeds will be decided this upcoming weekend when in-state rivals Kansas and Kansas State get together to hash things out.

Both potential ISU opponents have two important things in common — each beat Iowa State in Ames during the opening weekend of Big 12 play, but neither had to deal with freshman and No. 2 singles player Samantha Budai, who was sidelined by injury.

ISU coach Armando Espinosa said that Budai’s return to the lineup bodes well for the Cyclones’ chances in Texas.

“[Budai] did not play against either team, and she will bump everybody down a spot,” Espinosa said. “We had some competitive matches with everyone playing up, so I think we will be in very good shape with [Budai] in the match.”

Budai said Iowa State might have a psychological edge as well because each player had to play stiffer competition in her absence.

“I think it will bring more confidence [to my teammates] knowing that they did so well against people they were not necessarily supposed to be playing,” Budai said.

Junior Meghan Cassens agreed with Budai’s assessment of the state of the team, adding that the win over West Virginia in the final meet of the season took pressure off of Iowa State and improved its standing heading into the Big 12 tournament.

“I think we are the ones with nothing to lose because we have already lost to [whichever team] we play,” Cassens said. “You just never know how it will play out. It kind of depends on the day.”

Until that day comes, Cassens said the team will brave the grind as it has done all year and prepare to fight through the aches and pains that have accumulated over the long season.

Espinosa said the extra preparation time Iowa State has received will be put to good use, preparing a little bit longer for opponents his team is a little more familiar with.

“They are both very talented and very difficult teams to play,” Espinosa said. “I think we match up well against both of them. I do not think the girls are afraid of either of those two teams, so I am excited about it. I think we are ready to go.”