A birthday present came early for IU sophomore defensive specialist Meaghan Koors, who turned 20 years old Sunday.
Not only was Koors named the MVP of the Colonial Challenge, but she put up record numbers on Friday during IU's tournament-opening victory against George Washington.
Koors tied the IU school record for digs with 25 during that match.
The Hoosiers went on to win the Colonial Challenge and improved to 6-0 on the season.
“I think the coaches prepared us really well for this weekend,” Koors said. “The way we are playing defense right now makes it much more easier to control the court. I think our work ethic and how we structure our defense is really helping us.”
In their first road trip of the season, the Hoosiers defeated George Washington 3-0, Hofstra 3-1 and Long Island University-Brooklyn 3-1.
“I’m really proud of where this team is right now,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We said we would rather learn and win than learn and lose. We dropped two sets this weekend, which I think is pretty good for our first road trip.”
Aside from Koors, other notable performances came from senior outside hitter Jessica Leish, who had a career-high 15 kills in the match against George Washington, and freshman defensive specialist Bayli Lebo, who served two aces in the first set against LIU-Brooklyn.
“I was surprised and happy with Bayli,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “She was playing a different position for defensive player. Last week she was still adjusting and this weekend she was a totally different player. When she was serving we went on runs of points and she was passing much better as well.”
The Hoosiers have won the first two sets in each match they have played this season. From there, IU has either won its matches in three or four sets.
“We would lose some of our focus in the third set,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We talked a lot with a young team about how to sustain that momentum and focus for longer periods of time.”
IU has a pair of nonconference tournaments remaining before Big Ten Conference play begins. Next weekend, the Hoosiers will compete in the Dunn Hospitality Tournament in Evansville, Indiana.
“We are a young team, but we are feisty and can keep on going,” Koors said. “The tournaments and challenges will keep getting tougher as we get closer to Big Ten play. I think we are prepared and locked in on continuing to get better."
