When the ISU volleyball team takes the floor tonight, it will be looking to accomplish a feat it set out to do earlier in the season – beat Kansas.

The Cyclones fell to the Jayhawks on Sept. 19, 3-1 (30-17, 25-30, 30-25 and 30-28), but it was a match Iowa State was hoping to win.

“The first time we played them, it was our first Big 12 match of the year, so I think we had a little nervousness,” sophomore Steph Sunkten said. “This match will be at home which will help us out a lot. We just have to relax and get the job done.”

Iowa State stands at 4-16 overall and 1-14 in the Big 12 conference while Kansas is 14-12 and 4-11 in the Big 12. However, the Jayhawks are coming off a big win over Missouri who swept Iowa State, 3-0, last week.

In order to get the job done against Kansas, freshman Christine Smeele said the Cyclones will have to have two things clicking.

“We’ll need aggressive serving. And defense will be the most important thing,” Smeele said. “We’ll have to play good defense.”

Smeele said the Cyclones will have to be careful of a problem that’s plagued them all year if they hope to come away with the win.

“All our problems have been all been mental,” she said. “Sometimes we just fall apart. We need that balance that coach [Linda Crum] has been talking about all year.”

Balance is something the Cyclones have been struggling with all season. When they’ve had a balanced attack, they’ve played well, and when they haven’t, they’ve struggled.

Sunkten said the Cyclones will continue to work on balance until they make progress and are rewarded with a win.

“We definitely have to work on that aspect of our game. Our stats need to be similar to whatever team we play,” she said. “Balancing out the attacks with the hitters is also another big part of it.”

With the season winding down and only five matches remaining, the team has been getting larger crowds for their home matches, which Sunkten said has been nice.

“When I play, I, personally, don’t hear a thing. But one thing the coaches tell us is to let the crowd drive you, let the crowd keep you fired up and in the game,” she said. “A big crowd can definitely help.”