AMES – After a string of facing four consecutive nationally ranked Big 12 teams, the Cyclones’ run of the gauntlet continues when they host a formerly top-ranked Kansas squad on Friday.
Iowa State sits at 4-5-2 on the season, its most recent game a 3-1 loss on the road to No. 17 TCU. The Jayhawks are perched at 8-3-2; their previous match was a 2-0 loss in Lubbock to No. 11 Texas Tech.
Iowa State Head Coach Matt Fannon is not looking to make excuses, though, after playing such difficult competition.
“We just haven’t played very well,” Fannon said. “It’s not that we’ve been overpowered by teams that are so much better than us. It’s just that we really haven’t shown up.”
The Cyclones have been on a four-game losing streak since their match with Colorado on Sept. 25. Along with not showing up, many of those losses can be attributed to a lack of energy due to a depleted bench rotation.
“We are legitimately going through a stage where we’re asking the same people to work and work and work and work,” Fannon said. “When we’re playing one game a week, you can handle that. When it’s two games a week, it’s very high and very intense.”
The Cyclones only play one match this week. Having the time to rest and get in the film room has been crucial for an Iowa State team looking to play refreshed versus the Jayhawks.
“I think if we can get back to playing the way that we were playing with the same energy, as long as we do that on Friday night, we will be great,” Fannon said.
Raising the energy level and bringing the intensity will be essential for success against the atypical playstyle of Kansas.
“Kansas is just a totally different team from the last few teams we’ve played,” Fannon said. “They want to get the ball and lump it forward.”
Teams like Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor play a traditional style of moving the ball to create spaces and overload them to put pressure on the goal. The Jayhawks take that methodical approach and throw it out the window.
“Kansas is like, ‘Can we ram it down your throat?’” Fannon said. “‘Can we run over here? Can we make it like really physical and really awful and ugly and difficult?’ So it’s just a very, very different team.”
Kansas has been ranked as high as No. 14 this season. It’s the sixth top-25-ranked team, current or former, that Iowa State will play this season. Despite its difficult schedule, it’s the toughness of the Cyclones that has allowed them to persevere.
“We’ve gone out and kept going,” Fannon said. “So the attitude, the intensity, the desperation to get it right, I think, are awesome, some really great positives.”
It’s not only its attitude, but the culture. The willingness to grow and learn is at the forefront of this Iowa State team.
“They all really want to be coached,” Fannon said. “They all want to get better … and so I think we’ve just built a culture that is everybody on the same page.”
Iowa State plays Kansas at 6 p.m. Friday at the Cyclone Sports Complex.
