The Iowa State volleyball team has finally been granted a reprieve from a schedule that has seen the Cyclones play six of their last eight matches away from home.

The reward for Iowa State is a return to Hilton Coliseum on Oct. 22, where it will take on No. 18 Kansas, its fifth ranked opponent in 18 matches this season.

The Cyclones have hovered near the top 25 all year, despite having amassed seven losses through 17 contests.

ISU coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said the difficulty of the schedule is what has kept the team within arm’s reach of a national ranking throughout much of 2014.

Iowa State looks to flip the script from its last match, in which it started out slow and finished slow, losing to Texas Tech in five sets.

At 2-4 in the Big 12, the match against Kansas is paramount to the Cyclones if they hope to get back on track and finish with a winning conference record this season.

Johnson-Lynch said that improved attitudes and approaches to difficult losses are where she is seeing her team excel most.

She added that she is hopeful her players can translate that renewed fire and spirit into more wins on the court.

Go to the Iowa State Daily homepage for the full story on the Cyclones’ match-up with the Jayhawks.