After battling for second place in the Big 12 with rival Nebraska all season, the ISU volleyball team is ready for the third matchup that will decide which of the teams will go to the Elite 8.

The No. 5 Cyclones will head to the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., to continue their NCAA Tournament run against the Cornhuskers on Friday night.

“Everybody is just ready,” said senior setter Kaylee Manns. “We did split with them in the regular season, but we’re ready to prove that we’re the better team.”

The Huskers have been on fire since their first-ever loss to the Cyclones, going 11-1 down the stretch. Their only loss came to Texas on Oct. 30.

“No question, we have a very daunting task ahead of us, matching up with Nebraska again on, basically, their home court,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch at a Monday press conference. “We’re going to have to put out a great effort and see what happens.”

One of Nebraska’s 11 wins was a sweep of the Cyclones on Nov. 7. Although Iowa State has long since put the loss behind them, they realized it probably wouldn’t be the last time the two teams would meet this season.

“We did talk about, after the second time we played Nebraska and lost to them, that it was likely we were going to see either Nebraska or Texas in the NCAA Tournament,” Johnson-Lynch said. “I really believe that once you get to the tournament, everything that happened before that is kind of a moot point. The feelings, the emotions and the nerves — everything is going to feel a lot different.”

The Cornhuskers boast one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the nation, while the Cyclones have one of the strongest defenses. By now, the two teams are very familiar with one another, but the matchup won’t come down to what is on paper or what has happened in the past.

“You can prepare as much as you want for a team, but whoever comes out and plays the hardest is who is going to win,” Manns said.

Nebraska’s numerous offensive attackers made different marks on the Cyclones in the first two matches. However, the Cyclone block geared up down the stretch, as Iowa State finished second in team blocks during Big 12 play.

“They’ve got a nice offensive player in every position, and it’s hard to commit block on any certain player,” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’re going to have to stay pretty balanced and not commit block too much, but be able to get a solid block up on each of their players.”

The Cyclones swept their first two tournament opponents in George Mason and Wichita State, but struggled to get into a good offensive rhythm in the first set.

“To get into a rhythm in that first game, you really need to be able to pass the ball to target and play some good defense,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Good defense may not be a problem for the Cyclones as they held George Mason to a .071 hitting percentage and Wichita State to .112.

Record-attendance crowds are being predicted for the Qwest Center, with a majority most likely being Nebraska fans. The Huskers have stated that they enjoy playing in the Qwest Center almost as much as playing in the NU Coliseum. History can back them up, as the Huskers won their third NCAA volleyball championship there three years ago.

“I hope we’re ready for it,” said sophomore right side hitter and Kearney, Neb., native Kelsey Petersen. “We’ve only played in probably three places with a lot of people, so hopefully we can prepare, not pay attention to them, and just play our game.”

The team showed some obvious jitters in front of the crowd of more than 10,000 that packed Hilton for Nebraska’s sweep Nov. 7. While the team can’t deny that the crowd played a role in the loss, other factors may have had more of an effect.

“As a team, we seem to get pretty nervous and tense when we’re supposed to win,” Manns said. “We do so much better and are more relaxed when we’re the underdog.”

The underdog role is one the Cyclones relished when they defeated Nebraska on their home court in front of a large, hostile crowd. The team is already accepting that role again as it anticipates that this will be a much larger and more hostile crowd, putting more pressure on Nebraska.

“They have the home-court advantage,” said freshman middle blocker Jamie Straube. “So I don’t think anyone expects us to win against a crowd like that.”

First serve from the Qwest Center is set for 7 p.m. Also on the schedule for Friday is another Big 12 matchup as Texas takes on Texas A&M at 4:30 p.m. The winners from these two matches will face each other for a spot in the Final Four.