The No. 20 ISU gymnastics team will be traveling to Minnesota to take on the No. 22 Golden Gophers this Saturday, and expect the rivalry to produce a great battle.

“We split with them last year. We lost at home and beat them on their floor,” head coach K.J. Kindler said. “They are probably smelling blood.”

In their first meeting last season, the Gophers squeaked by the Cyclones 195.175-195.000, but a week later the tables were turned as Iowa State won the meet 197.000-196.550.

“Minnesota is definitely a rival for us. We are very comparable to each other and no one seems to dominate,” Kindler said. “It is a year-to-year thing.”

Iowa State, 3-5 overall, is coming off a second place finish at the Gator Triangular in Gainesville, Fla., last weekend. At that meet, they lost to the Florida Gators and beat the Denver Pioneers.

Freshman Erin Dethloff was second in the all around competition with a score of 39.375.

Minnesota, which is 7-4 overall, took first place at the Illinois Triangular last weekend where they scored a season high for total team points.

They are led by sophomore Carolyn Yernberg and freshman Laura Johnson. Yernberg won the vault and the floor exercise for the Gophers at the Illinois Triangular.

To be successful at this meet, the team will have to have a good start and a good finish, Kindler said.

At home meets, the Cyclones start on the vault and end on the floor exercise, their strongest events.

But at Minnesota they will start and end on their two toughest events — the uneven bars and the balance beam.

Despite difficulty on the beam, Iowa State is ranked 16th in the nation in the event as well as 18th on the vault and 19th on floor exercise.

Going into this meet, the Cyclones’ No. 1 goal is to go six-for-six on the bars.

“We want six good routines,” Kindler said. “If we do well, it will be a good confidence booster and get us through the rest of the meet.”

Kindler expects Dethloff and Laura-Kay Powell — who are both freshmen — to again compete in the all around competition. Dethloff is ranked 23rd nationally on the floor exercise.

Sophomore Abigail Richey is getting closer to hitting her vaults and when she does, she will also compete in the all around, Kindler said.

Freshman Krystal Carney who did not compete on floor last weekend will be back in the lineup.

“She took a break because of a hamstring pull but now she is pain-free,” Kindler said.