If the close loss to No. 4 Nebraska on Wednesday night proved anything, it’s that the 2010 ISU volleyball squad will once again compete with the top-tier programs of the Big 12 this season.

“We played really well. It wasn’t that we played poorly at all; it was us going against one of the best teams in the country, and I thought we gave it just about the best shot we had,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch following the Nebraska match. “I’m disappointed we lost, but not disappointed in how we played.”

Losing in four sets to the preseason Big 12 favorite Cornhuskers will prove valuable, especially with the Cyclones’ early conference schedule. That schedule continues Saturday when they travel to Columbia, Mo., to square off against the Missouri Tigers.

Each of Iowa State’s first five Big 12 Conference matches are against the other five teams that occupied the top six spots in the Big 12’s preseason rankings.

“I don’t know if it will be good or bad,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I think we’re playing well, so I like where we are at going into those matches, but I feel like with just about every team in the Big 12, especially on the road, you have to play well to win.”

The Tigers (9-2, 1-0 in Big 12) are coming off of a 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-21) conference-opening win over Texas Tech on Wednesday night. The win was the 100th for Wayne Kreklow, who is now in his sixth season as the coach at Missouri. The Tigers were ranked fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, finishing 18-14 last season.

Leading the Tigers to a 7-0 start this season for Kreklow was his niece, freshman setter Molly Kreklow, who came into the season as the Pre-Season All-Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Kreklow has already been named Big 12 Rookie of the Week twice this season.

Kreklow currently is averaging 11.89 assists per set, which is best in the Big 12, just ahead of ISU sophomore setter Alison Landwehr, who averages 11.61. A St. Louis, Mo., native, Landwehr is the only player from Missouri on the ISU roster.

“I’m always really excited to go to Mizzou, because it’s only two hours from where I’m from,” Landwehr said. “All my family is coming and a lot of my friends are driving from schools all over to come.”

The Tigers also boast preseason All-Big 12 outside hitter Paola Ampudia. The 6-foot-1-inch outside hitter from the country of Colombia transferred to Missouri last season and is now a favorite for Big 12 Player of the Year. She was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-Big 12 team last season. Ampudia leads the Tigers this season with 3.78 kills per set.

“She attacks from everywhere. She attacks from the back row options and the front row options, so we’ll have to keep track of her and where she is,” Johnson-Lynch said.

The Cyclones will face tough offensive attacks in back-to-back games after going against Nebraska’s Hanna Werth on Wednesday and preparing for Ampudia on Saturday.

The challenge of facing good opposing hitters, though, is a welcome one for the ISU defense.

“It’s always fun having a really good hitter to go against. It’s kind of something to focus on,” said junior middle blocker Debbie Stadick. “Sometimes, almost the more you have to think about it, the better you do, so it can be an advantage if you take it the right way.”

Stadick posted her two best statistical matches as a Cyclone last season in the pair of Cyclone victories over the Tigers. Stadick posted a career-high 15 kills on a .355 clip when Iowa State hosted Missouri and swung for another 14 kills on a .357 clip when the Cyclones traveled to Columbia last November.

“We’re a different team this year, so you never know what’s going to happen, but we have just been doing such a good job of getting one-on-one situations, so hopefully we’ll all be able to have really good nights against them this year too,” Stadick said.

Match time is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday with live stats available on Cyclones.com.