If it were a horse race, the last four weeks of the Big 12 Conference season would be considered the homestretch.

On Saturday, the ISU volleyball team heads to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears, and the team is preparing for its second and final time through the Big 12. With a log jam in the middle of the standings, there is still a lot left to be decided.

“A lot will be determined in the second half of the schedule,” said coach Christy Johnson. “The teams that hang in there and grind it out are going to be in the tournament.”

The first time around, the Cyclones cruised to a fairly easy sweep of Baylor, but that was in Ames. Despite the Bears’ seven- match losing streak, Iowa State won’t take them lightly.

“We have to come out ready and create our own energy,” said senior Nicole Lorenzen. “They will definitely want revenge, and they have been struggling, so I think they are ready to get it going again.”

Playing a team a second time can create some difficulties.

Teams are constantly changing their strategy and have had the benefit of playing each other before, making mental preparation paramount for being successful.

“We know a lot more about them, but you still have to come out ready because everyone has changed some things since the beginning of the season,” said freshman Kaylee Manns.

In addition to being mentally focused, the Cyclones will have to battle physical fatigue as the season wears on.

Playing two matches a week can be exhausting, and as the team heads down the stretch, staying healthy and fresh is as important as anything else.

“It gets harder because people tend to wear down,” Johnson said. “It becomes a long season, people are taking a lot of swings, shoulders are sore, knees are sore.”

With a postseason berth on the line, the players aren’t going to let anything get in their way. Although they are sore and tired, they said they aren’t going to use it as an excuse.

“You just have to fight through that kind of stuff,” Manns said. “Everyone is sore, but you can’t let that affect you.”

Iowa State is currently sixth in the Big 12 at 5-5, right about where Johnson thought the team would be. There were a few slip-ups, games the Cyclones thought they should have won, but they also had a few they considered upsets.

A record of 10-10 should be good enough to secure a postseason berth, which puts them right on pace. The second half of the season is favorable as some of the teams the Cyclones are jockeying with for position come to Ames.

“You kind of hope for one or two more [wins],” Johnson said. “I think we are in a good position to head into the second half. I like our schedule and think it will be good for us.”