The last time Iowa State walked off the court without a win was in Waco, Texas. Now, eight games later, the team is seeking one thing: revenge.

“Nobody wants to lose this one … big time revenge,” said sophomore middle blocker Debbie Stadick.

The ninth-ranked Cyclones will try to set a school record as they go for their ninth straight victory against the No. 22 Baylor Bears on Wednesday.

While the Bears hold the distinction of being the last team to beat the Cyclones, they have had their share of problems recently. Since its sweep of Iowa State, Baylor has dropped games against Texas A&M, Nebraska and Oklahoma and fell to fourth place in the standings, holding onto a 7–4 conference record.

However, the Cyclones will not forgot this is the same Baylor team that gave them problems in Waco. The team hopes that this time around things will be different and the end result will be better.

“We’ve come a long way from the team we were [last time against Baylor],” said sophomore defensive specialist Caitlin Mahoney. “We’ve improved a lot on our defense and our blocking. I think this time will be a different story because we’re a lot more prepared than last time.”

Wednesday’s match will showcase two of the Big 12’s best hitting teams. Baylor currently ranks third in the conference with a hitting percentage of .257 while Iowa State sits at fourth with .243.

Last time these teams faced each other, the Bears were able to hit .222.

The Cyclones hope their experience against Baylor last time will help them have a better idea of what to expect in this match.

“[Baylor is] a good team, they’re just good in every position,” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “They distribute the ball somewhat evenly among their offensive players. Their setter attacks the ball a lot, and that’s something different that’s hard to prepare for. We have to do a better job at slowing down their hitters and being a little more balanced and doing a better job on their setter.”

Iowa State will also try to continue its seven-game home winning streak. In those seven games at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones have yet to drop a set.

Even with the team’s recent success, Johnson-Lynch insists the Cyclones will not be overconfident going into the top 25 matchup with Baylor.

“After getting beat down there pretty badly the first time, I don’t think they’ll overlook Baylor,” Johnson-Lynch said. “They know Baylor, they respect them and they’ll be ready.”

With Texas still undefeated in the Big 12 and the next five teams in the standings separated by three games or fewer, Iowa State understands how important each conference game is. With sole possession of second place in the conference standings, the Cyclones know there will be many teams looking to upset them.

“It’s a huge game because it’s Baylor, because we lost the first time, because it’s at home and because it’s the second half now,” Stadick said. “It’s our last chance to beat them this year.

“Every game starts to matter, you don’t know what’s going to happen the second half of the season. [Other teams] can win every game and we could start losing games, so you want to make sure you win every game you can.”

The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum.