Iowa State will be no match for the UNI wrestling team Sunday in terms of experience.

But head coach Bobby Douglas isn’t too concerned. He said after his team upset No. 3 Minnesota at last weekend’s National Duals that experience can be offset by the “fight” a team has — and his in the process of developing that intensity.

“[Northern Iowa] has much more experience than we have and we don’t match up real well, but we’re starting to get the fight that we need now,” Douglas said. “In order to win, we’re going to have to win with fight. We can’t win with experience.”

The Panthers feature six upperclassmen, while Iowa State regularly wrestles just two seniors and one junior.

The 11th-ranked Cyclones return home for the first time since they defeated Tennessee-Chattanooga on Dec. 12. Since that win Iowa State has defeated Pittsburgh and Slippery Rock on the road before last weekend’s performance.

Junior Zach Roberson, who had three wins at the National Duals, helped Iowa State upend the Gophers and called it one of the most satisfying duals of his career.

After the win against Minnesota, Iowa State fell to Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and Cornell in the consolation round. Despite leaving with two losses, senior Aaron Holker said the underclassmen can turn the win into something very positive.

He said he’s seen vast improvement within the team since starting the season.

“We’re doing a lot better than at the beginning of the season and that’s going to boost their confidence a lot more, and that’s one of the most important things,” Holker said.

Holker, a 2002 national champion, is 17-1 this season and had his undefeated streak stopped when Oklahoma’s Teyon Ware defeated him with a 3-1 decision. The 141-pound senior fell to No. 2 in this week’s InterMat rankings.

He’ll look to get back on track against Northern Iowa’s Dylan Long, who is ranked fourth nationally with a record of 20-3. Five other Panthers are nationally ranked, including 174-pound Eric Hauan, who is ranked No. 6. He’ll match up with redshirt freshman Ken Cook.

“We don’t have as much talent as we have had in the past, so we’re going to have to rely on conditioning,” Roberson said. “And we’re going to have to win mentally and work on the aspects that we can.”

Besides Holker and Roberson, who checks in at No 3 in the country, Grant Nakamura, Nick Passolano and Austen Palmer all boast national rankings.