With three matches and just more than one week remaining on the regular season schedule, the final stretch of the season for the ISU volleyball team will make for a different Thanksgiving.

No. 19 Iowa State (17-7, 10-3 Big 12) will face Baylor on Saturday, West Virginia on the road the day before Thanksgiving on Wednesday and play host to No. 3 Texas on Nov. 24.

The matches against Baylor and West Virginia will be on the road, and the tight schedule may keep some players away from home on Thanksgiving.

“It’s kind of tough, but I just put it in perspective that basketball teams don’t get to go home for Thanksgiving, Christmas or spring break,” said libero Kristen Hahn.

Hahn said she still has homework due during the week, but stressed that break brings time to relax.

Outside hitter Rachel Hockaday agreed. “I never have class anyway,” Hockaday joked. “Fifth-year senior, you know what I mean?”

ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said the team will practice early next Thursday morning and late Friday night. The distance between practices is to allow players to head home if possible.

“They all go somewhere,” Johnson-Lynch said. “They’re always welcome at our house, but no one really wants to come to our house for Thanksgiving for some reason.”

Players from outside the state often don’t get that chance, however. Regardless, the entire team finds something to do.

“I think my parents are going to come to Ames for Thanksgiving and celebrate with me on Thursday,” Hahn said. “Coaches try to make it so we have time, if we can, to go home for in-state kids.

The Cyclones beat Baylor 3-1 and swept West Virginia in straight sets when they played the two teams at Hilton Coliseum. So far this season, Baylor has won only two Big 12 matches and West Virginia still hasn’t found the win column.

West Virginia has won only five of 42 total Big 12 sets in its debut season in the conference.

The big match will come against Texas, which locked up the Big 12 title on Wednesday. Last time Iowa State faced Texas, it won the first two sets before losing the final three to take the loss.

“That game at Texas was a good game, but we left disappointed just in the outcome of it,” Hockaday said. “Especially since we have a home football game that Friday, I think we’ll have a good crowd.”

This season the Cyclones are 11-1 at Hilton Coliseum. If Iowa State knocks off Baylor and West Virginia heading into the final weekend, the Texas match will be even bigger.

“If we win out we might have a shot at a seed,” Johnson-Lynch said of the NCAA tournament. “If we don’t have a seed, at least we’d like to be in position to have a good match-up the first two rounds.”

Iowa State will face Texas at home at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. The team will find out where it might play in the NCAA tournament the next afternoon.