Iowa State can’t afford a slow start when it faces Texas, Wednesday night at Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas.

The ninth-ranked Cyclones (10-2, 3-1 Big 12) were swept last year by No. 13 Texas (7-4, 2-1) in Austin. Then-senior All-American Destinee Hooker had 18 kills while hitting .400, leading the Longhorns to the decisive victory.

“They’re certainly athletic,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “[They’re] one of the most athletic teams in the country and a great team, so it will be another big match for us, so I hope we can go down there and hit well.”

Iowa State has never won in Austin, making it the only Big 12 locale in which it has not won a match.

The Longhorns lead the all-time series against the Cyclones, 27-3, with a 16-0 record in Austin.

However, the Longhorns have been going through a transitional period after graduating a bulk of their starters from last year, leaving this year’s lineup a work in progress.

“I think their lineup, for the most part, looks completely different this year than it was last year because they graduated so many starters,” said senior outside hitter Victoria Henson. “I guess I don’t really know what to expect from them this year, but last year was pretty physical.”

Johnson-Lynch noted at Monday’s news conference that Texas has been going back and forth between the traditional 5-1 formation and the unique and dangerous 6-2 formation. The 6-2 features three hitters — with at least one who is left-handed — and two setters who play opposite of each other. Teams that play in the 5-1 formation typically have trouble accounting for everyone on the opposing team because of the shifting strategical focus that facing the 6-2 presents.

The Cyclones faced the 6-2 in their four-set loss at home to No. 3 Nebraska on Sept. 15 in the most electrifying match played at Ames High so far this year.

Junior outside hitter Carly Jenson has been the standout player for Johnson-Lynch’s squad this year, taking over for Rachel Hockaday, whose season ended after sustaining an injury to her ACL in the Cyclones’ first match of the season against Florida in Omaha, Neb. It didn’t take long for Jenson to shed the weight off her shoulders that came with replacing Hockaday.

“I think I’ve kind of gotten over the hump of filling Rachel’s shoes and gone on to just play my game,” Jenson said.

Jenson has accounted for 126 kills — second-most on the team — while hitting .277 with three kills per set. She also leads the team in service aces with 13.

Even though Johnson-Lynch has stated in the past that Jenson has been one of the main catalysts for the team’s overcoming of adversity, Jenson is staying focused.

“[Johnson-Lynch’s comments are] definitely a boost of confidence, but I’m not going to let it get too much to my head,” Jenson said. “We all have to work hard, and I know everyone has stepped up so much ever since Rachel got injured. So I think it’s great that we can all just come together and play well.”

Henson and Jenson have been the offensive focal points for the Cyclones this season. The tandem has been neck-and-neck in kill totals and has a combined hitting percentage of .292.

“I’m just really pleased with our outsides, Victoria Henson and Carly Jenson. They’ve been putting up really amazing numbers offensively and also passing and great defense, so I just can’t say enough about what they’ve been doing for our program right now,” Johnson-Lynch said. “Their play is really allowing us to compete at that top-ten level. So we certainly hope that continues.”

The match starts at 6:30 p.m.