After a week of rest, the ISU swimming and diving team will hit the pool again for competition this weekend. The Cyclones (2-0-1, 0-0 Big 12) will travel to Nebraska to face off against Nebraska-Omaha (2-5).

Nebraska-Omaha is the third-straight Summit League opponent for the Cyclones, after facing South Dakota State and South Dakota two weeks ago.

In years past, Iowa State has dominated Nebraska-Omaha, as the Cyclones are 11-0 against the Mavericks all-time in dual meetings.

With the undefeated all-time record and a Big 12 duel against Texas Christian looming the week after, the Cyclones are focused on taking care of business and not overlooking their opponent.

“Whoever you’re going against, you’re going to go out and race against them,” said ISU coach Duane Sorenson. “It’s not so much a matter of getting psyched up and fired up or having a letdown.”

The Cyclones will use the meet to help solidify their lineups as conference opponents are right around the corner.

After experimenting with different swimmers competing in various events in previous matches, Sorenson hopes that he can begin to set his lineups with his swimmers all competing in their best events.

The road trip will be a little different for ISU swimmer Kristy Kunkel and diver Elyse Brouillette, who are both from Omaha.

“I swam at that pool all of high school, so it’s nice to get back in a pool I’m really comfortable with,” Kunkel said. She also noted that having more family and friends in attendance is an added bonus.

The Cyclones’ undefeated start through three meets is their best start since the 2006-07 season, and the team attributes that to a number of different reasons.

“The chemistry on the team is really good compared to past years,” Kunkel said. “We all get along really well.”

Sorenson noted that the team does team building activities every Wednesday at its weekly meetings, which has contributed to the closeness of the team.

Another reason for the strong start has been major contributions from underclassmen. Freshmen Karyl Clarete, Brooke Evensen, Savanna Townsend and Julie Dickinson have all shown the ability to score points for the team.

“The freshmen coming in have really stepped up and pushed all of us,” said Emily Wiltsie, senior captain.

The match against Nebraska-Omaha will feature different format than that of other meets.

The meet is a sprint meet and will consist of a 100-meter race of each stroke, a 50 freestyle and a 200 individual medley. Additionally, the swimmers are allowed to enter every event, with three swimmers designated to have their times count towards the team score.

“It’s kind of a training meet,” Sorenson said. “We’re going to get a lot of times out of swimmers in events they never get to swim.”

The format will allow the coach to evaluate his team and helps solidify the lineup for when conference duels roll around.

The duel will begin at 6 p.m. Friday night in Omaha, Neb.