The ISU volleyball team had no problems with Kansas during the regular season last year. The team won both games against the Jayhawks fairly easily and had a better conference and overall record. Then came tournament time.

Somehow, despite the impressive evidence in favor of the Cyclones (10-4, 2-2 in the Big 12 this year), Kansas was selected to the NCAA Tournament, and just like that, the season was over for Iowa State.

Although Kansas didn’t directly do anything to keep Iowa State out of postseason play, there is still some lingering hostility.

“There is probably still a little residual animosity,” said ISU coach Christy Johnson. “I’m sure we will be fired up to play them because of that.”

The Cyclones get a shot at some payback Saturday night as they travel to Lawrence, Kan. to face the Jayhawks (9-6).

“Just like any other team in team in the Big 12, we’d like to beat them to prove that we do have a spot in the NCAA tournament,” said junior Erin Boeve. “Since Kansas went in before us last year, it is important to beat them.”

Adding to the intensity of the game is the fact that Iowa State is coming off an emotional comeback against Kansas State. Already down 2-1 and trailing 19-12 in the fourth game, the Cyclones rallied behind a season-high 22 kills and 12 blocks from Boeve. She led four Cyclones in double figures for kills.

A key for Iowa State was an impressive defensive performance, something Johnson has been stressing in practice and hopes the team can carry over to the match against Kansas.

“We want to make some adjustments in our defense to give us the best shot at digging the ball,” Johnson said. “We are going to look at some situations where we can have our best diggers digging the ball.”

That new defense will be put to the test against Kansas. The Jayhawks are outhitting their opponents by more than three kills per game, led by senior Jana Correa and junior Emily Brown, both of who are averaging more than 3.5 kills a game.

“They have a couple exceptional players, a great right-side player and a great outside,” Johnson said.

A theme the team has been focusing on this year is finishing games successfully. Against both Nebraska and Oklahoma the Cyclones were poised for a win but let the game slip away from them at the end.

It was a different story against Kansas State, as the team built late leads in games four and five and then held on for the victory in both, an encouraging sign.

Despite last season’s success against Kansas, the Cyclones know they can’t take any match lightly in the Big 12. The league is competitive up and down and there won’t be any easy nights.

“Any team in the Big 12 this year is beatable, so whoever shows up will win,” said senior Katie Churm. “We have to really go in and be focused and ready to compete.”

The match will be the Cyclones ninth on the road this season, but so far that hasn’t been a problem, as the team has compiled a 5-3 record in away games. This is a complete turn around from last season’s 5-9 road struggles. The visiting team is always at a disadvantage, but the team is working around that this year.

“It is really important for us to get these wins, especially on the road,” Boeve said. “A lot of times it is easier to play at home in front of your home crowd, but we just have to be ready [to play] all the time.”