Iowa State faces Colorado at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Waco, Texas, for the first round of the Big 12 tournament. The Cyclones are the No. 11 seed, with Colorado as the No. 14 seed.

Iowa State played Colorado earlier in the season on Feb. 28. The Cyclones won that match 4-3 in what was the first conference win of the season.

Despite losing the doubles point, Iowa State rallied back. It won four singles matches in a hard-fought road contest. The win was also the second of the season against a ranked opponent.

This young Cyclone team has grown tremendously since their last match against Colorado. They’ve run the gauntlet that is the Big 12 and, in turn, have gained more conference experience.

There is no reason to believe that Iowa State can’t get another win over the Buffaloes. In addition, this match will be held on a neutral court, with no home-court advantage for Colorado in this rematch.

In their most recent match, the Cyclones lost 4-0 to No. 19 Oklahoma State. It was a competitive match, with each singles match, except one, going into the third set. Even with the Cowgirls’ four ranked singles players, Iowa State stayed in the fight from start to finish. 

Look out for sophomore Valeska San Martin Ramirez in this match. She is 9-7 in dual singles matches and is on a three-game singles win streak.

For the Buffaloes, keep an eye out for Mila Stanojevic. She is 10-8 in dual singles matches and 6-6 in conference play.

The winner of this match will take on No. 6 seed Arizona State at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Iowa State plays Colorado at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Fans can watch live on ESPN+.