The last time Iowa State played Texas Tech, senior Caitlin Nolan had only 12 digs. She’s looking for improvement in her game but the same winning outcome for her team. 

Iowa State (16-9, 9-5 Big 12) heads to Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday to take on Texas Tech (14-14, 3-11 Big 12) for the second time. The Cyclones won the first matchup and are looking to contain outside hitter Lauren Douglass and libero Carlie Foust. 

“I think it’ll be a defensive match between the two teams,” Nolan said. “In any match we need to have a mindset of having a good defensive effort.”

Nolan ranks first in the Big 12 with 277 digs. Her opponent Saturday, Foust, sits second in the conference with 234 digs. During the last match against Iowa State, Foust had 22 digs.

ISU volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said this match will be defensive with the top two dig leaders in the Big 12. Johnson-Lynch has been impressed with Foust this season and believes she could be a threat in the match if the Cyclones don’t contain her.

“[Texas Tech] has a terrific libero that takes on a lot of responsibility,” Johnson-Lynch said. “She’s really, really good [and] covers a lot of court for them. It’ll be fun seeing those two go back and forth a little bit in the match.”

The liberos are not the only matchup to look at in this match because the outside hitters are just as dangerous, specifically Douglass. 

Douglass ranks third in the Big 12 in hitting percentage with a .383 percentage. She’s also ranked eighth in kills with 265 this season. 

“She’s a really good player that’s hard to contain,” Johnson-Lynch said. “The best thing we can do is serve really tough, so they pass off the net and can’t set to her. That would be the best situation.”

In the last match, Douglass led the team with 11 kills against Iowa State. Sophomore Alexis Conaway said the middle blockers from Iowa State will need to work together to get Douglass off her rhythm early in the match.

This match will be the last Big 12 road match for Iowa State of the season. The Cyclones might be playing on the road in the first or second round of the NCAA tournament, and Johnson-Lynch wants the players to gain some confidence away from Hilton Coliseum, especially after being swept by Kansas State on Wednesday. 

“Every game matters, and every game will help us down the road for an NCAA tournament bid,” Conaway said. “We need to have the same mindset for every match, which is to play aggressive and to go out there to get that one win.”