The break was nice, but now it's back to work for the Kansas State volleyball team.

The Wildcats, ranked 13th in the latest AVCA coaches poll, begin a tough stretch on the road tonight when they travel to Iowa State to face a gritty Cyclones team, followed a trip to Baylor this Saturday.

K-State, third in the Big 12 standings, had its bye week last week before sweeping through the cellar-dweller Texas Tech Red Raiders last Saturday at Ahearn Field House.

"It was good," sophomore libero Lauren Mathewson said Monday. "A bunch of starters got some rest, so that was really good for us. But now we're ready for this week."

Iowa State (12-8 overall, 4-5 Big 12) started the season ranked in the Top 25, but struggled to a slow start in conference play when it lost four straight, leading to the Cyclones dropping from the polls at the end of September.

As of late though, this Cyclones team is starting to look more like the squad that's coming off two straight NCAA tournament appearances and has hopes to make it to a third. ISU has won three of its last four conference matches, including a big win over Baylor last week.

"It is a tough week," KSU outside hitter Rita Liliom said. "Iowa State is going to be tough — always is when you go to someone's house and have to play them. But we'll be prepared."

Liliom fueled the Cats' sweep on Saturday over Tech when she recorded her 1,000th career kill. The senior had 11 kills on 20 swings against the Red Raiders, now standing in 15th place at KSU.

But Tech, still winless in the Big 12, is no Iowa State and Baylor.

"It'll be hard," Liliom said. "Two road matches in the Big 12 is tough. It's going into their house."

Iowa State plays similarly to Oklahoma, a team that K-State (17-3, 7-2) has already defeated — a grueling five-game match on Oct. 11 in Norman.

"They are similar, both really scrappy, so we have to be ready for everything and play our offense on our side of the net," Mathewson said. "Teams like that, they send stuff over that we're not expecting so we always have to be on our toes for plays like that."

After this two-match road trip, the Cats will return home for three straight, including another contest against the Sooners and a weekend battle with Kansas. At this point with 11 matches remaining in the regular season, every set of every match becomes more and more important.

"We're coming in everyday, trying to get better, preparing ourselves for the next team because in the Big 12, everyone's good," Mathewson said. "We can't overlook one team and look ahead to the next.