The spring volleyball season will conclude this weekend as the Cyclones head north for three matches in Minneapolis on Saturday.

The opponents for Iowa State (3-2) are North Dakota, Northern Iowa and Concordia (Neb.). The Cyclones played three matches last Saturday in Ames, as well, winning the first two matches without losing a set before falling to Minnesota 2-0 in the day’s finale.

“I thought it was really good,” said ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “I thought it was a really high level of volleyball the whole day. We got to see a lot of good things — again, some things that I wasn’t really expecting — but we make notes and we’re going to try to address them this spring and then going into next fall we’ll have a head start on it.”

This weekend will begin against North Dakota, who finished last season 15-17 overall and 10-10 in Big Sky Conference play. The Cyclones are 2-0 all time against North Dakota.

The Cyclones defeated Northern Iowa 3-0 in the second match of the day last Saturday, and will get a second chance to play this weekend in Minneapolis. Sophomore Mackenzie Bigbee recorded a team-leading 12 kills against the Panthers last weekend.

Saturday will conclude against Concordia in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The Golden Bears were dominant last season, finishing with a 33-4 record overall and going 18-2 in conference play.

After last weekend, the Cyclones are starting to learn how to benefit from the three-match-per-day format.

“I think a lot of learning comes from those losses,” said ISU senior libero Kristen Hahn. “They’re tough losses; they hit you a little harder, but it’s a good format; to play so many teams gets everyone the touches that they need. I didn’t play the first game against Nebraska-Omaha, and I think that helps the underclassmen.”

Given that this weekend marks the end of the spring season for the Cyclones, there’s a lot they want to accomplish before Saturday ends.

Hahn said she knew at the beginning of the spring season that the team had a lot of potential, but wasn’t sure if they’d click well. Since the start of the spring, the Cyclones have come a long way, giving hope for what’s to come in the fall and for the program as a whole.

After the spring schedule, preparation for the fall season will begin.

“Both physically and mentally, I just need to prepare more and get myself ready for the big games,” said ISU redshirt freshman Morgan Kuhrt. “Summer workouts will help get us in shape and get us conditioned and ready to go, and open gyms, playing together and just having that team chemistry.”

Saturday’s matches are scheduled to begin at 10:10 a.m. against North Dakota, 11:20 a.m. against Northern Iowa and 3:50 p.m. against Concordia.