Iowa State plays host to No. 27 Texas Tech in the Cyclones’ first match in Ames, Iowa, of the season Saturday.

The Cyclones are coming off a tough 6-1 loss to BYU on Thursday and are looking to bounce back against a highly-ranked opponent in Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have an 11-5 record and have won four of their last five matches, with their one loss coming to No. 1 Oklahoma State, which continues to sit atop the ITA rankings.

The matchup history favors Texas Tech 26-3, but Iowa State has three of the last four matchups, including a 4-1 win in Urbandale, Iowa, last season. Despite the recent history being on Iowa State’s side, the match on Saturday does not stack up as well for the Cyclones.

With the help of No. 7 Metka Komac and Avelina Sayfetdinova, Texas Tech has dominated in doubles. Komac and Sayfetdinova have an 11-1 record from the first doubles spot, and Mariya Polishchuk and Cristina Tiglea have an 11-3 record from the second doubles spot.

In singles, the Red Raiders are led by Tiglea, who has a 9-4 record overall and an impressive 5-3 record against nationally ranked opponents. In the Fall Big 12 Championships in Waco, Texas, Tiglea took on and defeated the Cyclones’ Anna Supapitch Kuearum with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6). If the match Saturday is anything like the match in that match, it will be an intense one between Kuearum and Tiglea.

Iowa State’s Ashlee Narker has found a rhythm, winning each of the last two matches and dropping a close one to No. 66 Lucia Peyre of Oklahoma State. Narker is emerging as a leader for the young Iowa State team that has had a rough start to the season.

Saturday’s match is the sixth straight ranked match for the Cyclones, and a win would prevent the losing streak from reaching 10. Texas Tech has most recently defeated Kansas and Kansas State, two teams that Iowa State has lost to already this year.

The Cyclones take on the No. 27 Red Raiders in Iowa State’s second home conference match at 11 a.m. Saturday.