With matches against the conference’s two best teams in the rearview mirror, the ISU volleyball team will attempt to build on its last two performances Wednesday night, when they hit the road for a conference matchup with Missouri.

The Tigers (7-6, 1-2 Big 12), who were ranked fifth in the preseason Big 12 poll, have underperformed thus far this season, despite having all but two players back from last year’s NCAA qualifying team.

“I like the way we’re playing going into this match,” said Cyclones coach Christy Johnson. “We’re starting to click and I like the way we’re executing things. It’s very evident that the players are doing exactly what we have worked on in practice, which — for a coach — is really exciting to see in a match.

The Cyclones (9-6, 1-3 Big 12) are coming off a week in which they played two titans of the Big 12 — No. 2 Nebraska and No. 3 Texas — and hung tough in both matches from start to finish. The results of the matches may have added two tallies to the loss column, but for the Cyclones the results weren’t the most important byproduct of the week.

After taking three of the four sets to extra points and stealing a set from Nebraska, the Cyclones now know they have what it takes to play with the best the conference has to offer.

“I think we’re playing with a really tough mentality now,” said senior middle blocker Jen Malcom. “We know we can compete with anybody right now. We’re not afraid of anybody and we’re playing like we have nothing to lose.”

Missouri worked a 3-1 victory over the Cyclones at the Hearnes Center in Columbia last season, as the Tigers held the Cyclones to a lowly .143 hitting percentage. Missouri’s Na Yang torched Iowa State with 22 kills and libero Tatum Ailes recorded 29 digs in the match. The Cyclones don’t have to worry about either player Wednesday night, as both have since graduated.

Missouri has, however, regained the services of skilled outside hitter Julianna Klein, who missed the majority of last season after injuring an ACL.

Compared to the last two matches against Texas and Nebraska, Johnson expects to see a completely different style of play Wednesday night. The Cyclones are anticipating a slower tempo in the match against the Tigers, who rank second in the Big 12 in digs per set, with 16.04, and fourth in blocks per set, with 2.67.

“They might not have the type of hitters that a Nebraska or Texas does, but they are smart, experienced players,” Johnson said. “It will be a different type of match with a lot of defense, nobody really bombing the ball to the floor, but more varied shots and a lot more rallies going back and forth over the net.”

ISU libero Ashley Mass carries a 41-match streak of double digit digs into the match, but will find herself playing opposite another young, talented defensive specialist. Missouri libero Caitlin Vann is the only player in the Big 12 that leads Iowa State’s Mass in digs per set — 5.19 to 4.96 — and is the only Missouri player ranked higher than seventh in the Big 12 in any statistical category.

The first serve between the Tigers and Cyclones will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.