Any home team with a packed arena is going to have an edge in the game. Texas A&M fans provide an atmosphere that rattles the competition.

The Cyclone volleyball team (16-10) visits College Station, Texas, to take on the Aggies (10-14) on Wednesday at the G. Rollie White Coliseum. Texas A&M routinely brings in large crowds, as the Aggies were No. 15 in the nation last season in average attendance.

“It’s a tough place to play. Everybody is just right on top of you. Everybody is right there and yelling,” junior setter Kaylee Manns said. “A&M people are really into it and really supportive and very vocal about their sport.”

Texas A&M is tenth in the Big 12 conference, ahead of only Texas Tech, who has yet to see a conference win. Although the Aggies’ record doesn’t show it, A&M has improved since the first time Iowa State played them this season.

Since the Cyclones saw the Aggies early in the season, A&M has taken both top-ranked Kansas State and Nebraska into five sets. The Aggies narrowly lost to Nebraska in the fifth set (15-13), a team the Cyclones lost to in four sets this season.

“To me they are a very, very scary team,” said coach Christy Johnson. “They can play with anyone in the country if they are playing well.”

The Aggies seemed to be “out of sync” when the Cyclones faced them earlier this season, Johnson said.

“We are just going to come out and expect to play like Kansas State, play like they’re Nebraska,” Manns said. “Just because they are A&M doesn’t mean we can take them lightly.”

In the previous meeting with the Aggies, the Cyclones swept the match 3-0. As a team, A&M finished with a hitting percentage of only .062. The Aggies’ leading hitter, Mary Batis, finished the game with a -.050 attacking percentage.

“I think they’re a completely different team from when we played them the first time,” Johnson said. “I think they were really off that night.”

The Aggies’ roster is filled with height as well as strength in the outside positions. Batis leads A&M in kills and marked 1,000 kills on her career earlier this season. Batis, a junior outside hitter, keeps the Aggies together.

“She’s kind of one of their glue players,” Johnson said. “She’s just a really nice athlete.”

Overall, ISU volleyball has a 1-12 record in matches at Texas A&M. The Cyclones have a 3-4 record against the Aggies under Johnson.