IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan tweeted out a picture taken this past weekend of her bench at the Indiana Invitational. The picture illustrates how engaged the players on the bench were. The caption read “I LOVE this picture of the bench over the weekend. Nothing like being engaged in the play and supporting your teammates. #GoIU #family".
Dunbar-Kruzan said the picture represents something that she has been trying to emphasize for this season.
“In years past we haven’t been as good as I would have liked to be,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “I think there is nothing better than bench players involved in a match because when they get put in, they are ready to go. Also, I think it helps their teammates on the court, knowing they have support behind them.”
The Hoosiers won all three matches last weekend to become the Indiana Invitational champions for the sixth-straight year. In their path, the Hoosiers defeated Ball State, 3-0, DePaul, 3-1 and Indiana State, 3-0.
This weekend, IU competes inthe Colonial Challenge in Washington D.C.
Dunbar-Kruzan said having the bench engaged in the matches helps the players on the court, especially for road matches.
A key concept the team has been working on this week in practice is dig quality, which helps the team turn defense into offense.
“Some people are content with just getting the dig up,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “That doesn’t help us if we can’t transition that into a kill, which is what we want to do.”
Sophomore setter Victoria Brisak, who had a total of 124 assists this past weekend, said the team is also working on out-of-system scenarios.
An out-of-system play would be where the setter, like Brisack, digs the ball and is therefore unable to get the second hit to set one of her teammates up for the kill.
“We are really trying to dominate the out-of-system plays,” Brisack said. “If we can capitalize on those opportunities we’ll give ourselves a great chance to win.”
The Hoosiers will play Georgetown, Hofstra and Long Island University-Brooklyn this weekend, three teams they aren’t very familiar with. Brisack said against teams like these, it’s even more important to be ready for out-of-system plays because you have to assume that’s what’s going to happen.
The team left Wednesday for D.C. and will play at 7 p.m. Friday against Georgetown. The next day will feature Hofstra at 10 a.m. and Long Island University-Brooklyn at 4:30 p.m.
