The Iowa State volleyball team had an up and down week last week. The team went out and swept the West Virginia Mountaineers on the road only to follow up with an inconsistent four-set loss to the Texas Longhorns at home, the then-No. 3 ranked team in the country.

Now, the Cyclones look to put together a consistent week as they have two road matches. The road trip starts with a match against the Oklahoma Sooners.

“Pretty huge week coming up for [Iowa State],” said coach Christy Johnson-Lynch. “[Oklahoma] is playing a lot better than they did earlier this season. It’s going to be a big challenge to go on the road and win and play well.”

However, earlier this season Iowa State had an easy time with Oklahoma.

In the match at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones won in four sets. The only set the Sooners won was the first, 31-29. After that it was all Iowa State.

The Cyclones offense and defense were on point in that match, collectively tallying a .256 hitting percentage, while holding Oklahoma to a .202 hitting percentage. However, the Sooners are a different team now than they were in September.

“Probably, like a lot of people, just figuring some stuff out,” Johnson-Lynch said. “How to use people the best way. I think [Oklahoma’s] outsides are playing pretty well. They are relying on one outside a lot. She is getting close to leading the conference in kills per set.”

The outside hitter Johnson-Lynch is referring to is junior Alyssa Enneking.

On the year, Enneking has been dominant in Big 12 matches. She has recorded 198 kills in 48 sets. That gives Enneking an average 4.12 kills per set. But throughout the entire year, Enneking has tallied 385 kills in 94 sets, giving her an average of 4.10 kills per set.

“[Enneking] is figuring out how to get kills,” Johnson-Lynch said. “[Oklahoma] is moving her around to different spots along the net.”

Last time against Iowa State, Enneking totaled 21 kills.

Although Enneking is a threat, the team is preparing like she is just another normal outside hitter.

“Just the same as any other hitter,” said libero Hali Hillegas. “I think we realize that they rely on their outside hitters a lot. So, we are going to focus in on them and then see what they do against us.”

But overall, as a team, the Sooners are just playing at a better level.

While Oklahoma is playing better, which means it will be more difficult to get a win this time around for Iowa State, this match presents another opportunity for the Cyclones to keep on building their resume to claim a top-16 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

We are #15 in RPI this week. #cyclONEnation https://t.co/Fc8jxLmhoN

— Cyclone Volleyball (@CycloneVB) November 13, 2017

Currently, heading into the match, Iowa State’s RPI is No. 15 in the country. That is a big factor in determining which teams claim a top-16 seed to host an opening round of the NCAA Tournament. And a win against the Sooners can possibly move the needle a tad bit further to help the Cyclones claim one of those 16 spots.

“[These last three matches] are crucial,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Although these three matches are critical, there are more factors in determining whether Iowa State claims a top seed.

“The wins and losses are more under our control,” Johnson-Lynch said. “After that, we can win out and get a seed or we can win out and not get a seed. We just don’t know.”

Iowa State doesn’t talk about whether or not it will claim a top-16 seed. It just focuses on the next practice and match at hand. And come 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, down in Norman, Oklahoma the Cyclones will be focused on taking down the Sooners.