Although the ISU volleyball team faced a setback against No. 1 Nebraska this weekend, it is determined to continue where it left off.

Before the Huskers swept the Cyclones 3-0, Iowa State was fresh off victories over Baylor and then-No. 18 Texas. Iowa State (8-6, 2-2 Big 12) plans to continue its efforts in creating a record season when it faces Colorado at home Wednesday.

“Nebraska is an exceptional team, and I don’t think we lost anything by playing them,” said coach Christy Johnson. “We will approach Colorado the same way we did Nebraska.”

The match brings the Cyclones back to Ames after a week and a half on the road, and the team is eagerly anticipating its return to Hilton Coliseum.

“We are really excited to be back home on our own court again,” said hitter Erin Boeve. “After the energy of beating Texas here we are glad to be back.”

Last season, the Cyclones ended their season against Colorado in Boulder, falling in three games after scoring only 16 points in games one and three. Boeve said the Buffaloes shouldn’t be expecting that caliber of team this year.

“Anybody coming to Ames will know we’ve improved greatly after just one year,” she said. “It will be interesting to see how they react to us after our two big conference wins.”

The matchup between the two similar Big 12 squads will be on the heels of Colorado’s five-game squeaker over Oklahoma, a battle that hinged on a three-point margin in the fifth.

The Buffaloes are 5-4 overall and have a 1-3 conference mark, but Johnson said her team will not be fooled by any record.

“Colorado is very good,” she said. “They have a great right-side hitter and setter, and their other players on the floor are pretty athletic.

“We will have to play very well to beat a team like them.”

All of Colorado’s losses this season have come against teams ranked in the top 25 in the Coaches’ poll, including defending national champion Stanford.

Right-side hitter Allie Griffin, who notched 27 kills in the win against Oklahoma, is ranked second in the Big 12 in kills per game with 5.22, and has a consistent hitting average of .344.

Junior setter Ashley Nu’u is churning out 13.55 assists a game, good for third in the conference.

The Cyclones will face the Buffalo offense with their own outstanding defense, which Johnson said is good but can always be improved.

Boeve is second in the conference with 1.75 blocks a game, which propelled the Cyclones to third overall.

Katie Churm’s 4.71 digs per game has boosted Iowa State’s defensive edge by taking it to second in the Big 12.

Johnson said her team’s main focus is on the offensive side of the net.

“We need to continue to improve our offense and make good decisions,” she said.

“We need to find the hot hitter that night and go with it.”

Boeve said aggressiveness when going at the net is crucial, and that they need to be ready for any kind of set or hit.

Boeve said the fine-tuning will be apparent when her team takes the court, and hopefully Colorado will see a different team than last year’s season-ender.

“In the end, we’re all in the same conference, we’re all playing volleyball,” she said.

“We have to take it from there ourselves.”