Iowa State has one chance left to claim a Big 12 victory before the conference tournament, and that chance goes by the name of West Virginia.

The ISU tennis team (8-13, 0-8 Big 12) will drive to Morgantown, W.Va. for a matchup with the Mountaineers (3-17, 0-8 Big 12) April 11.

The meet is somewhat of a breather for the Cyclones who have played nine ranked opponents in a row, losing all nine contests after posting an 8-3 record to start the season.

Iowa State and West Virginia are situated at the bottom of the conference and neither is in contention for a first round bye in the conference tournament, but junior Meghan Cassens said that in no way means this meet is unimportant.

“It matters because it is our last match and we have a really good chance at winning it,” Cassens said. “This whole season has been tough because we have had a lot of close matches and have not been able to pull them out.”

The match also has seeding implications for the bye round of the Big 12 tournament. The loser will finish last and be forced to take on the seventh seed in the first round instead of the eighth seed.

Freshman Talisa Merchiers added that a win could provide a confidence boost, something she said the team could use.

“It matters for the tournament,” Merchiers said. “If we lose, we will go into the tournament thinking about how we lost again. I really want a win for the team in Big 12, so it is important. I think we are going to beat [West Virginia]. I really think so.”

Merchier’s prediction will hold true if recent historical precedent has anything to say about it. Iowa State’s win over West Virginia last year accounted for the sole ISU triumph in Big 12 play in 2013, the same as it will in 2014 if the Cyclones are able to find their way to victory.

Cassens said that the key to capturing that victory will be the players avoiding putting too much pressure on themselves, something she said the team has done a good deal of over the last handful of weeks.

“When we played Drake we felt like we needed to win and that hurt us,” Cassens said. “As long as we do not go out there with that mentality and stay relaxed we will be in a [good position].”

Iowa State will meet West Virginia on at 9 a.m. April 12.