Playing its second consecutive Top-15 opponent, the ISU volleyball team travels to Lincoln, Neb., Saturday to face No. 11 Nebraska for the second time this season.

The Huskers won the first meeting between the two schools 3-0, on Sept. 24 in Omaha, Neb.

Nebraska is coming off a 3-0 win over Baylor Oct. 18. The Huskers have a 15-3 record overall and are 7-2 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones fell to No. 8 Kansas State 3-1 Wednesday after taking the first game.

Head coach Linda Crum said confidence is important for Iowa State in those types of matches and when facing ranked opponents.

“Confidence is what you let yourself believe. What you keep letting in your head is what you become,” Crum said.

Having a lot of belief in what can be accomplished and gaining experience in those situations are the most helpful, she said.

“The more times we’re in that situation to be successful against a ranked team and you can take a step, that is where you begin to develop more and more confidence,” Crum said.

The Cyclones are currently 10-11 overall and 2-8 in league play.

“I thought we played a great first game and up to about point 14 with Nebraska,” head coach Linda Crum said. “I think the thing that I am excited about is that I just want our kids to go out and compete ball for ball because I don’t think Nebraska is as strong a team as Kansas State. I don’t think they are as efficient with their hitting.”

The Huskers are No. 1 in the Big 12 with 3.1 blocks per game and hold their opponents to a .126 hitting percentage. They also average 15.9 kills per game.

“We’ve seen them once, we know we can play with them,” junior Brittany Dalager said. “We played well against them the first time we saw them, but then again in games two and three, we broke down again. I think just staying up, communicating and just being positive, believing in each other, I think those are all keys.”

Showing up ready to compete and going after the match are going to be important, Crum said.

“We just have to show up and keep them out of [their] system, play defense with heart and pass the ball well,” Crum said.

The Cyclone lineup is still determined by practice.

“After our Texas match (Oct. 11), I was pretty hard on the kids in terms of challenging that everybody in our gym has to create an environment that’s competitive so that we can be successful when we play opponents,” Crum said. “We’ve created some extra challenges on Mondays where we have more time to take more swings and do things where we can compete in our own gym and not have to focus on our opponent.

“Every kids has stepped up on the team. In my opinion, that has earned them the opportunity to go out on the floor.”