When the ISU tennis team faces off against Missouri on Thursday, it is planning on its match being a lot different than the first meeting between the two.

This time, it will be in the Big 12 Championships and it’s win or go home.

“We were all really close in our matches when we played them earlier; the score really didn’t actually say what happened. Once we have a point, we need to take it because it’s going to be really important since it’s first to four,” said ISU senior Marie-Christine Chartier. “If you have a chance to break or get a game, you’ve got to do it when it’s there and just stay out there as long as you can.”

The first time the Cyclones (4-19, 1-8 Big 12) and the Tigers (10-11, 2-7) competed, Missouri came away with a 6-1 victory. But as Chartier said, the score didn’t really give any idea to how close the match was.

If Iowa State wants to come away with a victory this time, coach Armando Espinosa said the Cyclones don’t need to change much, just be more prepared to play.

“The key is coming out, knowing that we have a chance to beat them, having to play them before and knowing that we could take them down,” Espinosa said. “It’s a good feeling to come onto the court in doubles and singles and know that we have a great shot, we just have to try not to change the mentality that if we go out there, even though we lost 6-1 in the regular season, that now it’s a different story.”

Chartier emphasized how important the mental aspect will be when it comes to competing.

“Tennis-wise, we just need to play our game and be smart and calm and know that we can do it,” Chartier said. “We can. It’s two teams that are basically the same level, so it’s all about how we approach it mentally.”

Another important aspect to the Cyclones’ chances of winning is for all the players to be playing their best. Espinosa said the team hasn’t had a meet this season in which that has happened.

“We don’t need to do anything extraordinary, just play our game and we’ll beat them,” Espinosa said. “Everybody has played individually a good match every so often, but we haven’t had everybody playing well at the same time. If we go out there and we can do that, there’s no doubt in my mind that we will beat them.”

This match against Missouri could possibly be the last for ISU seniors Chartier, Maria Fernanda Macedo, Tessa Lang and Chelsea Loprinzi.

“It’s absolutely crazy that four years have gone by so fast, and I think the other seniors feel the same way, that this is maybe our last match coming up,” Lang said.

However, that won’t deter them from treating it like it will be their last match.

“We’re going into this tournament with a really positive attitude and everyone is really looking forward to winning one,” Lang said. “So hopefully it won’t be our last one. But if it is, it has been a great four years and we’re all looking forward to this last match.”