When the fifth-ranked Cyclone gymnasts take the floor Saturday against Illinois in Champaign, Ill., there will be one extra Cyclone on the floor — kind of.

The meet will mark Illinois assistant coach Kim Mazza’s first competition against her alma mater, where she competed as one of Iowa State’s most decorated gymnasts and served as an assistant coach for two years.

Though both Mazza and ISU head coach K.J. Kindler say they look forward to their personal reunion, both coaches will keep their respective teams focused on achieving season-high scores to be in position for postseason competition.

“They are my alma mater, and I obviously wish them well,” Mazza said. “But, when we step on the floor, I’ll have the same focus as I do at every meet.

“It’s all about your team posting a good score to qualify for regionals. Our goal, as always, will be to take 24-for-24 routines and post a good score.”

Kindler said the Cyclones’ main focus all season has been qualifying for nationals at the end of the season and using each competition as a stepping stone toward their goal.

Kindler said the team’s next step is to break the 197.000 scoring mark. The Cyclones have come close to the mark several times this season, posting their highest score of 196.950 against intrastate rival Iowa.

“It’s good that we’ve been consistent,” senior Chee Chee Calina said. “But now we have to focus on putting all of our routines together at the same time to hit the big score.”

Though Kindler said the Cyclones have had several outstanding performances this season, she knows the team has not yet reached its potential. She said the team is currently focusing on the vaulting and bars lineups.

“We’re really trying to focus on the vault lineup,” Kindler said. “Katie Lasher needs to be in the vault lineup for our team to move forward this season.”

Lasher has been recovering from a sprained ankle and has only been able to compete on bars, but should return to the vault line up within the next two weeks, Kindler said. She said Lasher is more than capable of consistently hitting a score of 9.900 on the vault, which could boost the team’s total score moving into regional competition.

Kindler said the lineup will also benefit when junior and reigning Big 12 vault champion Abigail Richey returns after recovering from a hyper-extended knee.

“I don’t think we’re worried about beating [Illinois], but we’re focused on getting a 197,” Richey said. “Everyone is going to have to hit 6-for-6 on each event. Last week we had some trouble on bars, but the bars team is working to fix those mistakes.”

Richey said it should be a fun meet for the athletes and coaches because many of the Illini are personal friends from club gymnastics competition. She also said it would be exciting to see Mazza, the Cyclones’ former beam coach, again.

“It will be good to see [Mazza] again,” Calina said. “But we need to focus on ourselves, on each other and our team goals, not who we are competing against. Afterwards, we can catch up personally.”

Kindler said the third away meet of the season featured opportunities for both teams.

“Mazza worked under me, and we have a great relationship,” Kindler said.

“We’re really proud that she was able to move on to very prestigious university. I know [Illinois] is impressed with her and her work, and I look forward to seeing how her team has been able to progress.”

The 5-2 Illini will take on the 5-0 Cyclones at 7 p.m. Saturday in Champaign, Ill.