Last season the ISU volleyball team opened their season with a 3-1 loss to Middle Tennessee State at home, which started a stretch in which the team lost four of their first five.

This season, the Cyclones (3-1) have won three of four to start the season and will take on the 15th-ranked Blue Raiders on their home floor as a part of three matches they will play in the Blue Raider Bash this weekend.

“They beat us on our home floor, so it would be nice to go and get them back on theirs,” setter Kaylee Manns said. “They are ranked ahead of us, so it would be a big statement for us to beat them on their home court.”

“It would be a nice win for us, but it would be great just to go on the road and play well,” said coach Christy Johnson. “I thought we played OK against Creighton, but we didn’t play great.”

The Blue Raiders (3-0) only play one player over 6 feet tall, but still average almost 2.5 blocks per game and that allows them to outhit their opponents .269-.127.

“It would be a nice win for us, but it would be great just to go on the road and play well,” Johnson said. “I thought we played OK against Creighton, but we didn’t play great.”

Johnson also said MTSU runs one of the fastest offenses Iowa State will see all season long.

“They are smaller, but really athletic” Johnson said. “That is probably the biggest challenge, trying to keep up our block with the speed of their hitters and the tempo of their offense.”

The Cyclones are entering their second tournament of the season, after going 2-1 and winning the Panther Invitational in Milwaukee, Wis., last weekend.

Outside hitter Mary Bisenius said Iowa State was able to work their kinks out and get back into competition mode last weekend.

“This has been a long two weeks,” Bisenius said. “We really need to stay focused on the task ahead of us.”

The Blue Raiders, however, are not the only Cyclone opponent this weekend. Iowa State will also hook up with the Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-3) and the Florida International Golden Panthers (4-0). The Mountaineers struggled last weekend, but FIU defeated previously ranked Clemson.

The Golden Panthers have an international flavor with eight foreign players coming from seven different countries. One of those players, Yarimar Rosa, a Puerto Rican native, averages 5.57 kills and 3.93 digs per game through four matches.

From seeing many international players in the Big 12 Conference, Manns said foreign players seem to have a lot of physical talent, along with being a little bit more skilled than American players.

“I don’t necessarily think their play is different, but I think they are very good players,” Manns said. “If you are going to go internationally to recruit someone, they have to be really good.”

Bisenius said having to play a strong offensive team like FIU and a strong defensive team like MTSU will help prepare the Cyclones for the many different styles they will see in the Big 12 Conference.

“The Big 12 is a lot of both of them,” Bisenius said. “The Big 12 has a lot of power, compared to scrappy team, but there is still teams like Baylor who have good defense.