After getting swept by the Panthers of Northern Iowa, the road doesn’t get any easier for the Cyclones. Iowa State travels to Lincoln, Neb., for a matchup against the No. 9-ranked Cornhuskers.

Iowa State (9-1)  earned its first-ever win against Nebraska in 2009, defeating them in five sets. Nebraska’s record against the Cyclones sits at 79-1.

Nebraska comes into the match with a 6-1 record and a 3-0 record at home. Their only loss came against No. 15 Colorado State.

Gina Mancuso has been causing problems for opponents at outside hitter. She is averaging 3.78 kills per set while maintaining a hitting percentage of .336. Iowa State will also have to watch out for middle blocker Brooke Delano, who is hitting .381 this season.

“She’s really good on the slide,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “We’re going to have a good block setup. If we can take their setter off of the net, that will take Delano out of the offense.”

The biggest challenge the Cyclones will face is at the net. Opponents have only averaged a .104 against Nebraska.

Iowa State’s biggest downfall in the loss to the Panthers was the serve and pass game. That is going to have to be fixed for the Cyclones to be able to compete against Nebraska.

“I think there were times where we got in a rhythm, but I think we struggled to get in a rhythm passing,” Johnson-Lynch said. “If we do that to Nebraska, we’re going to have no shot.”

The match against Nebraska also serves as a homecoming for many members of the ISU squad. The Cyclones feature five native Nebraskans.

With that many players from the same state, it has created a sort of bond within the team.

“We like to joke about it and say we’re from Nebraska,” said senior defensive specialist Caitlin Mahoney, an Omaha native. “That’s something we all have a bond with.”

Three of the five Nebraskans are seniors. This creates other certain emotions for their final time facing off against the team that, at one point, they dreamt of playing for.

“It’s different because they’re all Nebraska fans, but they root for us, too,” said senior right-side Kelsey Petersen. “We’re the hometown girls, so they still love us.”