The No. 12 Cyclones have begun the downhill slide toward the end of their season, and many of the players are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The team has only seven regular season matches to go, but this week it will close one of the season’s doors prematurely — the door to the Ames High School Gymnasium.

When Iowa State (16-5, 9-4 Big 12) takes on Baylor (12-11, 5-7) on Wednesday, it will be the team’s last match at Ames High. As the team’s temporary venue after the summer floods wiped out Hilton Coliseum, it is a place that seemed foreign just a few months ago.

With it’s creaky wooden floors, small seating capacity of only 2,000 and its tendency for extreme heat in the warmer months, the Ames High Gymnasium is a far cry from the bright lights of Hilton.

Despite the unfamiliarity, the team jumped right in, holding its first home match at Ames High on Sept. 3. Since then, the Cyclones have hosted 10 different teams there. The ISU pep band and cheerleaders adjusted as well, and the team often garnered a full house of still-loyal fans.

Somewhere during that time, the small gymnasium became comfortable for the Cyclones.

“It’s kind of bittersweet because I think Ames High has become like a home for us,” said setter Alison Landwehr. “We’re just so grateful for the people who allowed that to happen.”

Now the team hopes to leave Ames High on a high note against Baylor on Wednesday. A win at home would be welcome after the Cyclones came home battered and bruised from a three-set loss to Nebraska on Saturday.

With the loss to then-No. 2 Nebraska, the Cyclones ended a five-match winning streak, hitting at a season-low .089.

Fraught with the frustration of getting flustered and losing multiple points in a row, the match against Nebraska showcased a Cyclone team that couldn’t recover from losing momentum.

“[Nebraska] is a tough place to play and I think we let it get to us a little bit,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “It seemed like we were right with them through the first half of every game. Then we would get rattled and make some poor decisions.”

The team will need to switch gears in order to move on from the loss to Nebraska, a highly offensive team who leads the Big 12 with an average 15.04 kills per match.

Wednesday, the Cyclones will face a Baylor team that is known for defense. The Lady Bears lead the Big 12 in digs, with an average of 18.69 digs per match.

“They’re going to keep the ball alive and we can’t make the errors,” said middle blocker Jamie Straube. “That’s kind of what they want you to do. They’ll give you the ball and let you mess up. So we just need to work on hitting high and hitting hard.”

The last time the teams met in Waco, Texas, the Cyclones managed to come from behind and beat the Lady Bears, 3-1. Despite the win earlier in the season, the ISU squad still has plenty to look out for from Baylor.

The team is ranked higher than the Cyclones in the conference with blocks per set, 2.38, and service aces, 1.11. Lady Bear Caitlyn Trice also leads the Baylor offense and the Big 12 with 5.25 digs per set this season.

Nonetheless, the Cyclones are ready to face the Lady Bears, move on from their loss to Nebraska, and end their tenure at Ames High School.

“I know we’re going be just fine,” Straube said. “I think it’ll be a good way for us to get back on track against Baylor.”

First serve is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ames High School.