On Wednesday, Iowa State (8-8) will host Big 12 opponent Oklahoma (9-7) with the game scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

Iowa State and Oklahoma are on two-game losing streaks, with both teams having lost to now-No. 21 Baylor in the last two weeks.

Iowa State fell 3-2 to Baylor on Sept. 22 and Oklahoma lost 3-1 on Friday.

After Iowa State’s game versus Baylor, the team fell 3-1 to Texas Tech on the road.

Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said she felt the team was in control early on, but felt the team “let it go.” This season, Johnson-Lynch said the team has a problem starting hot but fading as the game progresses.

Against Baylor, Iowa State had a .253 hitting percentage and averaged about 13.4 kills per set. On the other hand, Baylor had a .131 hitting percentage and averaged about 11.25 kills per set.

Iowa State and Oklahoma have high-usage hitters in Jess Schaben and Alyssa Enneking. Against Baylor, Schaben and Enneking had 20 kills, but Schaben had .273 hitting percentage to Enneking’s .154.

“They have a real big gun in No. 8, their outside,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She’s going to get a lot of sets and we’ve got to figure out a way to slow her down.”

Against Baylor, Enneking had 65 attack attempts in four sets. Schaben had 55 in five sets.

Middle blocker Grace Lazard said the Cyclones want to set up the outside the block on the outside because of how much the Sooner offense relies on their outside hitters.

Defensively, Iowa State averaged 1.6 blocks per set against Baylor and the Cyclones averaged 14.6 digs a set. Iowa State was anchored by Hali Hillegas’ 22 digs in five sets.

Outside hitter Brooke Andersen said the Cyclones have been focusing on their block in practice and defending behind the block which have been trouble areas for Iowa State recently, and an area Johnson-Lynch said she wants the team to improve on.

The Sooners averaged 1.25 blocks a set but averaged 17 digs a set. Keyton Kinley had the most digs for the Sooners with 20.

Overall, Johnson-Lynch said she expects a solid and scrappy team in Oklahoma.

In another blow to Iowa State’s depth, Johnson-Lynch said senior outside hitter Hannah Bailey had dislocated her finger and will likely be out for the majority of the season.

This season, middle blockers Meegan Hart and Avery Rhodes, along with Andersen have missed time.

Hart broke a finger and may return later this season, but Rhodes is out for the season after having surgery on her hip.

Andersen has had issues with severe migraines which she said required a trip to the emergency room due to it causing her extremities to go numb, but she will be back this week.

“This is the first time [we’ve had depth issues], I think you just have to kind of go through it each day at a time and stay positive. Positivity is definitely the main thing,” Lazard said. ‘That’s going to keep us going through the season.”

Because of the absence of Hart and Rhodes at middle blocker, Candelaria Herrera made the switch from outside hitter to middle blocker and has excelled at the position.

Lazard said she has seen Herrera most improve at reading the attack since her transition and appreciates how hard Herrera works in practice.

Despite Rhodes, Bailey and Hart being out, Andersen said the trio has been instrumental in supporting herself and the team.