Iowa State (13-2, 3-1 Big 12) will hit the road after an undefeated homestand. In the two-game stretch at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UCF Golden Knights.

The Cyclones won both of those matches in four sets after winning the first two sets. That is now the fourth time with that specific outcome.

“We just panicked, we got tentative, you know, and that happens sometimes in volleyball,” Iowa State Head Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. 

With those two conference wins at home, Iowa State is now fourth in the Big 12 rankings.

Iowa State averages 1.75 blocks per set. Texas Tech is the only team to average fewer blocks per set than the Cyclones.

This has been an issue that the Cyclone coaching staff has addressed, and we have seen improvement.

They averaged about 2.63 blocks per set in their last two matches, a mark that would currently be fifth in the Big 12 for blocks per set.

The Cyclones lead the conference in kills per set at 14.38. Showing the true capabilities of the Iowa State offense.

One statistic that also comes to attention is opponent digs. When facing the Cyclones, opponents are averaging only 11.44 digs per set.

When Iowa State hitters can put a good swing on the ball, they will end the rally pretty quickly compared to other Big 12 teams.

The Kansas State Wildcats will come into this contest with the Cyclones sitting at eighth in the Big 12 standings.

The Wildcats (9-3, 2-2 Big 12) are coming off an undefeated week where they took down West Virginia and Cincinnati.

In the contest against West Virginia, senior outside hitter Shaylee Myers recorded 34 kills.

This is the most kills we have seen out of any Big 12 player this season, and the second-highest single-game kills nationally. 

The current record is 50 kills by Jordan Thompson of the University of Cincinnati when they faced UCONN on Nov. 3, 2019.

Iowa State will play Kansas State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.