The Iowa State volleyball team will travel to No. 15 Kansas after defeating the Kansas State Wildcats in a five-set contest. The trip will consist of a short, 90-minute drive across Kansas from Manhattan to Lawrence.

Iowa State struggled early against the Wildcats, losing the first set by 25-16.

In the second set, senior setter Morgan Brandt had four kills, a unique statistic for a setter. Brandt set new season highs in kills, along with assists, points and total blocks against Kansas State. 

The third set struggles did continue for the Cyclones in Manhattan, getting out to a 17-13 lead at points, but eventually dropping the set in extra points 27-25. 

The Cyclones then went back-to-back in sets four and five to knock off the Wildcats. This gave the Cyclones their fourth conference win with just one loss. 

Even with the win, the Cyclones need to look at increasing the block production. Iowa State only produced 11 blocks in five sets against Kansas State. This has been a statistic that the coaching staff has emphasized all season.

The Jayhawk team may only have a 12-7 (3-2 Big 12) record, but this is a top-15 team in the country, with the strength of schedule being a massive factor in their current ranking.

A five-set loss came at No. 8 Wisconsin. Having to travel to play at the Wisconsin Field House is a challenge, but instead, the Jayhawks had to play against a crowd of over 10,000 at the Kohl Center. It was one of nine total ranked opponent matches that the Jayhawks have had this season.

The player that the Cyclones may need to circle on the Jayhawk roster is sophomore middle blocker Reese Ptacek. 

Ptacek was placed on the AVCA player of the year watch list and has already increased production from her freshman season. Ptacek is on pace to double her kills-to-set ratio from last season. 

The Cyclones will take on the Jayhawks at 6 p.m. Friday at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.