AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State volleyball program announced its schedule for the 2021 campaign on Tuesday, a slate which will once again feature the regular mix of strong non-conference foes and the difficult Big 12 schedule.

Iowa State will open the season at home with the Cyclone Challenge featuring Drake, Fresno State and Omaha. While Drake and Omaha are familiar faces and opponents for the Cyclones, the Bulldogs are making the trip in from California, with the two teams meeting for only the second time on August 28. The previous meeting came in the 1994 NIVC in Kansas City, a 3-0 win for the Cyclones.

Iowa State’s next three weekends will be spent at three Big Ten campuses. The Cyclones were supposed to travel to Penn State last year before covid-19 wiped out the non-conference slate. Now the Cyclones will get to make their trip to Happy Valley on Labor Day weekend to take on LSU, Penn State and Oregon State.

The next week sees the renewal of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series rivalry against Iowa at the new Xtreme Arena in Coralville. The Cyclones will also take on Ball State and Syracuse the second weekend of September. After a mid-week trip to UNI, the Cyclones head up to the Twin Cities to take part in Minnesota’s Diet Coke Classic, where ISU will play the host Golden Gophers on Saturday, Sept. 18 and Division I newcomers St. Thomas on Friday, Sept. 17.

The Big 12 will be continuing with the two matches at one site format for one more season in 2021, with Iowa State opening its conference slate on Sept. 24-25 against TCU. The highlight of ISU’s home conference slate will be on Homecoming Weekend, with ISU hosting 2020 NCAA National Runners Up Texas on Oct. 21 and 22. The Cyclones also host West Virginia (Oct. 29-30) and Kansas State (Nov. 11 & 13) at Hilton Coliseum.

ISU’s road conference matches will be at Kansas (Oct. 1-2), Texas Tech (Oct. 7-8), Oklahoma (Nov. 5-6) and Baylor (Nov. 19-20).

More information in regards to volleyball season tickets will be announced in the coming weeks.