The Cyclones looked like they were building momentum with home sweeps of Kansas State and West Virginia, but they have taken a step back with a loss to Texas.

The ISU volleyball team will try to get back on track when it hits the road to Lawrence, Kan., for a match against No. 22 Kansas on Oct. 23.

The Jayhawks (16-4, 6-1 Big 12) host the Cyclones (10-6, 4-2 Big 12) after winning their last two matches on the road against Texas Tech, a 3-0 sweep, and West Virginia, a 3-1 win.

The Jayhawks, who are currently second in the Big 12 behind Texas, are leading the conference in assists per set with 13.58 kills per set with 14.46 and blocks with 2.8. ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said that will make for a nice challenge on the road.

“[Victoria] Hurtt and [Mackenzie] Bigbee, we need them to continue to hit high and hit well against a big block,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Same with [Tenisha Matlock]. It’ll just be a good test for us because it’s a great team that’s good in every aspect of the game, so those teams are difficult to play.”

ISU sophomore right side hitter Bigbee said that hitting high was something they focused on last week as they prepared for Texas, and they will need to continue to compete against the Jayhawks’ blocking.

“Teams that are great blocking teams, you really have to put that extra mental focus into making sure that every time you take that approach that you’re swinging high,” Bigbee said. “You can’t ever pull it down because that’s when they have those great blocks.”

The Cyclones won their last meeting with the Jayhawks at Hilton Coliseum but fell 3-2 last time they played in Lawrence. Bigbee said that Kansas is a tough place to play based on her experience last season when she was a freshman.

“Coming in freshman year, you don’t really know what to expect,” Bigbee said. “They always have great crowds and it gets really rowdy in there, and I think that was a little overwhelming for us; so going in I think we can just have that mentality I think, because we’ve played at Nebraska … We’ve played in front of some pretty big rival crowds this year, so I think that will definitely help us prepare for that.”

The Cyclones take on the Jayhawks for the first time this season at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Horejsi Family Athletics Center in Lawrence, Kan.