After coming up short in a five-set battle against Missouri in early October, the Cyclones are eager for another shot at the Tigers as the two teams meet up again Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.

“We came out really slow the last time we played them,” said junior setter Kaylee Manns.

Iowa State enters the game coming off an upset to No. 13 Kansas State. The Tigers, however, have a big win of their own, as they recently swept Colorado.

Iowa State, which has a conference record of 5-5, has moved into fifth place in the conference, only one place in front of the Tigers.

“These matches are so critical,” said coach Christy Johnson. We’re right in the middle of the pack with them.”

This matchup will be a key factor in Iowa State’s chance at a spot in the Big 12 Tournament this season.

Sophomore Julianna Klein led the Tigers with 17 kills in the last match against the Cyclones, while sophomore Weiwen Wang also added 16 of her own for Mizzou.

Iowa State was out-hit by Missouri .259 to .165 on the night, caused by several attacking errors on the Cyclone side of the net. Iowa State ended with 25 attacking errors, a number too high to take a win from the aggressive Tigers.

“We didn’t have any real offense going; there was no groove,” Manns said in reference to the matchup with Missouri.

Although Iowa State’s hitting was off, the Cyclones out blocked Mizzou 12 to five.

At the halfway point of the season, three Cyclone players lead the Big 12 in statistics: Victoria Henson in kills, Ashley Mass in digs, and Manns leads the conference in assists. Jen Malcom is also nearing the top as second in the conference in both hitting percentage and blocks.

As a team, the Cyclones are third in the Big 12 in kills per set and just .01 behind Nebraska in assists for the conference. Iowa State is also fourth in the conference in hitting percentage, with a combined attacking percent of .255. The Cyclones are now 7-2 at home this season, with 4-1 conference home record.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re prepared and we’re ready at point one,” Johnson said. “Not ready at point 20, or ready in game two — we’ve got to make sure we’re ready from the start.”

Since its last meeting with the Tigers, Iowa State has won four of five games, including its first win in a five-set match this season. The Tigers, on the other hand, have lost the last four out of six games, including losses to Texas A&M and Kansas State, two teams the Cyclones have already beaten.