Thirteen conference wins in a season is a feat only good teams accomplish, but it’s a manageable feat.

When Iowa State joined the Big 12 in 1996, it took the Cyclones nine seasons to win 13 conference matches in 180 attempts.

Since Christy Johnson-Lynch was hired after the 2004 season, Johnson-Lynch has accumulated a record of 141-75 against Big 12 foes.

Johnson-Lynch and the Cyclones look to build on their conference success and snag a Big 12 win on Saturday against Oklahoma.

“I think we’re in great shape going into conference [play],” Johnson-Lynch said. “We’ve come a long way, but we can get a ton better.”

Historically, Oklahoma has had the advantage in the series, holding a 43-36 all-time record against Iowa State.

Recently, the Cyclones have dominated the series. Iowa State has won seven matches in a row against Oklahoma and 14 of the last 17.

This season, the Sooners had a rough start, losing five of their first six matches. They won two matches and followed it up with a four match skid.

Last season, Oklahoma finished just under .500, sporting a record of 13-15. The Sooners were 0-2 against Iowa State, including a 3-0 sweep in Ames to end Oklahoma’s season.

Oklahoma’s junior outside hitter Madison Drescher is a player Iowa State will need to contain. Drescher was named to the 2017 All-Big 12 preseason team.

Drescher has contributed over 90 kills this season. Drescher isn’t Oklahoma’s only weapon; alongside Drescher, junior outside hitter Alyssa Enneking has emerged.

Enneking has a team-high 180 kills, which also ranks third in the Big 12.

The Sooners are relatively young, possessing a roster with one senior and six freshmen. Oklahoma’s addition of youth could make it tricky for the Cyclones.

Iowa State’s played Drescher and Enneking before, but the freshmen could be enigmatic for the Cyclones.

Iowa State also has its fair share of youth. Freshman setter Piper Mauck has played in 31 of 37 sets for the Cyclones, including all five sets in a tight match against Pittsburgh.

“Playing in those tight matches, every time you do that, and you respond well you gain confidence from that,” Johnson-Lynch said after the Pittsburgh match. “[Piper] will be that much more ready next time.”

Along with Mauck, freshman middle blocker Avery Rhodes had a break-out weekend in the Shocker tournament. Rhodes’ tough defense helped the Cyclones upset then ranked No. 8 Creighton.

“[Avery is] a great athlete and great athletes tend to get better,” Johnson-Lynch said. “They really tend to take off at a certain point.”

Rhodes’ big weekend earned her the Big 12 Freshman of the Week honor.

This weekend could be a prime opportunity for Iowa State’s freshmen and sophomores to receive playing time against a rebuilding Oklahoma team.