In a highly anticipated match between the first- and second-place teams in the Big 12 Conference, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns (18–0, 13–0 Big 12) travel to Ames to face the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones (19–3, 11–2).

Wednesday’s match marks a rematch of the Sept. 18 game where Iowa State traveled to Austin and was swept by the Longhorns.

Getting a victory will not be an easy task. The Longhorns have only dropped one set in conference play this season, and that was against Nebraska on Sept. 26.

The match will feature two of the Big 12’s leaders in kills. Texas’ senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker leads the Big 12 in kills, while Iowa State’s junior outside hitter Victoria Henson ranks second.

The Cyclones will have their hands full trying to contain Hooker. She is a two-sport athlete who has won three outdoor high jump titles in track.

“She’s kind of in a league of her own,“ said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “If you look at her stats, that kind of tells you where she’s at, but if you just watch her play you don’t need to know anything about volleyball to enjoy her athleticism. She’s an NCAA high jump champion who’s also playing volleyball and is exceptional at volleyball. She’s a world-class player.”

As a team, Texas is hitting .330 against the Big 12. Hooker is a big contributor with a staggering .372 hitting percentage and average of 4.95 kills per set against conference opponents. No doubt the Cyclones will pay close attention to the Longhorns’ outside hitter.

“[For the Texas match] we’ll need to know our blocking assignments,” Henson said. “Especially on [Hooker], making sure we get two blockers up on her. She’s tall and she jumps over everyone.”

This match comes with a special sense of urgency for the Cyclones. They find themselves in second place to Texas, with their sights set on gaining as much ground on the Longhorns as possible. Wednesday’s match will be the last time Iowa State will have the power to control whether or not it gains ground on Texas. Despite this, the Cyclones are trying their hardest not to put too much pressure on themselves.

“It’s not really pressure that we feel,” said sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday. “You just have to go into these big games just really confident and composed and just know in the back of your mind the whole game, no matter what, you’re going to win.”

With a win, the Cyclones would find themselves one game out of first place in the conference standings with six games left against the Big 12. With a loss, it will make it more difficult for the Cyclones to gain ground on Texas, as they would be three games behind the Longhorns. However, the Cyclones remain excited for this match and the possibilities that would come with a victory.

“This is the most exciting time I think our program has ever had,“ Johnson-Lynch said. “This is a great time to be a Cyclone volleyball player and a fan. I’m excited to see what they do this week.”

“If anything, we might need to settle down a little bit,” she said. “They’ll be so hyped up to play these guys, I think we just need to make sure we stay relaxed and composed.”