It’s another week and another opponent the players on the ISU volleyball team haven’t beaten in their careers at Iowa State.

The Cyclones will try to break a string of 20 losses against Kansas State, a team they haven’t beaten in 11 years, Wednesday night in Manhattan, Kan.

However, the match is ripe for the taking this year. Kansas State has lost its last four matches coming into the match.

“Kansas State is probably a top 25 program, yet you lose four in a row because that can happen in the Big 12, with teams as even as they are,” coach Christy Johnson said.

“It’s not that they aren’t a good team – they are a very good team – and we have to remember that.”

The Wildcats were ranked No. 25 in the preseason poll, but have struggled in the tough Big 12 so far this season.

“The difference between winning and losing is so very close,” Johnson said. “If you can steal one on the road, that’s great, and that’s what we need to do.”

Iowa State is at a critical juncture in its season. With two tough matches against Texas and Missouri coming up, getting wins this week is crucial for the team’s long-term goal of reaching the NCAA tournament. Although losses this week wouldn’t end their season, they would put the Cyclones in a serious hole at 1-4 in the Big 12 and could deal a serious blow to their postseason hopes.

“It’s a long season, but if we get these two wins this week, it will give us a lot of confidence for the matches coming up,” junior Erin Boeve said.

The Cyclones have fallen on hard times of late, losing their past two contests, albeit one of them to the first-ranked Nebraska. Playing in such a tough conference, Iowa State knows wins are always hard to come by and the team has to find them where it can.

“In the Big 12, even when teams get swept, the games are close,” Johnson said. “The biggest thing for us is being able to come through in those games, because there is so much parity this year, you’re not going to win 30-20 very often.”

The team wants to get back on track by refocusing and paying attention to details.

“I think we need to stay focused on the little things,” said senior Katie Churm. “We made little mistakes, and if we can pick up those little ones, we can get back to winning.”

Most of those little things seem to be mental, an area Johnson said the team is trying to emphasize.

“Decision making is a huge part of it, whether it is setting, attacking or deciding who to block,” Johnson said. “Making sure we are making good decisions and then making aggressive decisions.”

Kansas State probably isn’t the most opportune opponent for the Cyclones to try and work out some of the kinks against. Although they have struggled recently, the Wildcats have consistently been a top program in the country and are still a dangerous team.

The Wildcats biggest strength is its defense. It is ranked in the top five in the conference in both blocks and digs, and the libero, Angie Lastra, leads the Big 12 with 5.38 digs per game.

“They always play very hard, a very aggressive team offensively and defensively,” Johnson said. “We are going to have to keep our composure down there, something we didn’t do very well last year, and be ready to play a tough team and win 32-30 if we have to.”

Closing games out has been a problem for the Cyclones this year. They had a 24-17 lead against Oklahoma before letting the Sooners come back and get the win.

“We just need to work on finishing games,” Boeve said.

“That’s one thing we need learn.”

The team is staying positive despite the recent slide, and knows while this week is important, it won’t make or break its season.

“It’s a long season and we get to play each team both home and away,” said Boeve. “There are a lot of matches ahead of us.”