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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports

Volleyball opens Big Ten season at home against Illinois

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After 12 games and four separate three-match tournaments, conference season is finally here.

IU will begin its Big Ten Conference season against Illinois at 7 p.m Wednesday at the University Gym.

Both teams will enter with good records. The Hoosiers are 11-1, and the Fighting Illini are 9-2. Last year, Illinois beat IU, 3-0, in Champaign, Illinois, but this year the match is in Bloomington. 

“We are ecstatic for them to come here,” senior right side hitter Elizabeth Asdell said. “We love the crowd here at home. It’s the best environment. The energy is great, and we are excited to show them what we got.”

The Fighting Illini have received votes for being ranked in the top 25 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The team beat No. 24 Western Kentucky, 3-0, earlier this season and lost to No. 4 Stanford in straight sets.

IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said she thinks that Illinois is one of the best blocking teams in the conference. Someone who plays a major role on defense for the Illini is junior middle blocker Ali Bastianelli.

“She has really good eyes and knows how to read setters really well,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We are trying to make smarter decisions at the top of our swings. We want to get it up and not pull it down into their block.”

That’s what the team is looking to do offensively, but defensively the Hoosiers are going up against more elite outside hitters in Illinois sophomores Jacqueline Quade and Beth Prince. 

Quade had a career-high 24 kills and Prince 19 kills in the Fighting Illini's 3-2 win against Missouri State.

“Illinois has always been known for their outside hitters,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We have some defensive schemes we are going to try against them. They are going to get their kills, but we are just looking to slow them down.”

Despite having schemes to slow Illini players, the Hoosiers are more focused on themselves. 

Asdell said they want to reduce their errors and have better shot selection.

The last time IU defeated Illinois was in Bloomington in 2010. Since then, Illinois has had IU’s number, beating the Hoosiers in 11 straight matches. 

“I think we are in a good place with whoever we are playing right now,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We have a good mentality, and we don’t want other teams to come in and derail that mentality. You have to stay you all the time, and that’s what we are looking to do.”

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