The Iowa State volleyball team has been making big strides on defense this spring, but the Cyclones will have to step up their level of play even more with two weekend matchups against top-tier Big Ten school. 

Iowa State will travel to Manchester, Iowa, for a match against Wisconsin on Friday, then to Minneapolis for a match against Minnesota on Saturday.

“[Wisconsin and Minnesota] are both really good teams,” coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said. “They’ve obviously had a lot of success and they’re very athletic. I think their offense will be a lot fast than what we’ve seen [this spring].”

It will be a challenge to slow down high-powered offenses like the Badgers and Golden Gophers, but the Cyclone defense has been playing like it is up to the task lately.

In their most recent tournament at the Iowa State Spring Tournament, the Cyclones completed two sweeps and dropped only one set the entire day.

The Cyclone defense was able to hold Omaha to a -.043 hitting percentage in one set and North Dakota to a .000 hitting percentage twice.

One of the Cyclones’ biggest areas of improvement this spring has been blocking, Johnson-Lynch said. 

“I’d say we’re really starting to get the hang of it and become a good blocking team,” Johnson-Lynch said.

Many of the teams Iowa State has played this spring could not match up physically against the Cyclones, meaning Iowa State could get away with some sloppy play. 

“Physically, we could just jump over [other teams],” Johnson-Lynch said. “We were taller and able to jump a little higher so we could maybe get away with not passing the ball great or setting the ball great.”

The Cyclones will certainly be playing against high-caliber opponents. The type of teams Iowa State will need to beat to make a solid tournament run when that time comes.

Last season, Wisconsin posted a 28-5 record while advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament before losing to eventual champion Stanford.

Minnesota had an impressive season as well with a 29-5 record and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament before they fell to eventual champion Stanford.

The Cyclones will be taking on Minnesota at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, where the Golden Gophers did not lose a single game last season, going 17-0 at home.

“[Minnesota] has a really good atmosphere and record so I’m excited to play them and see how we do,” libero Hali Hillegas said.

The Cyclones’ match against the Badgers will be played at West Delaware High School in Manchester, Iowa, at 7 p.m. Friday. First serve against the Gophers will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

“I’m so excited,” sophomore Sami Hillmer said. “It will be some competitive volleyball for sure.”