Any team can win on any given night, which is why the Cyclones won’t be taking the Texas Tech Red Raiders too lightly.

“This match is as critical as any we’ve played all season,” said coach Christy Johnson.

The ISU volleyball team seems to be getting its groove back, with two wins over Oklahoma and Baylor. The Cyclones (11-7) take on Texas Tech (5-14) in Wednesday night’s match at Hilton Coliseum.

The Big 12 tends to be unpredictable, giving the Cyclones reason to be just as eager to play Texas Tech as they were to play top teams Nebraska and Texas.

“Every team in the Big 12 is good and you can’t take any for granted,” Johnson said.

The Cyclones will be at home this week, rather than traveling in the middle of the week, as they have for their last two mid-week games.

“We can get back into our routine a little bit better when we play at home during the week,” Johnson said.

Although the Raiders come in with a less than impressive record, Iowa State will remain energized for the game.

“We’ve just got to take the energy we’ve been playing with from Oklahoma and Baylor and continue that,” said senior middle blocker Jen Malcom.

Malcom is coming off of a career-high three solo blocks against Baylor on Saturday. Also, Malcom notched 14 kills and Victoria Henson added 18 in the road victory. With those impressive individual performances, the Cyclones were able to defeat the Bears 3-1.

Iowa State hopes to continue its success during the match with Texas Tech.

“It’s important for us to come out right on top right away,” Malcom said. “If you’re not on your ‘A’ game or come ready to play, it’s going to be a struggle the whole night, and we can’t afford that.”

The Red Raiders enter Wednesday’s match coming off a loss to in-state rival Texas A&M. The Red Raiders finished the match with a lowly .029 hitting percentage, and were eventually swept in three sets by the Aggies. Underdogs, like Texas Tech, tend to take teams by surprise. Last year, the Raiders were able to take one set from the Cyclones in Texas.

“We’ve just got to come out for every game because everyone is a challenge in the Big 12,” freshman Rachel Hockaday said.