Hoosiers fall short of upset of Illinois, lose 3-2
After dropping the first two sets to No. 6 Illinois, the IU volleyball team rallied into position to score a monumental upset before falling in the fifth.
The Hoosiers (14-11, 3-8) played sound team volleyball in their comeback but couldn’t finish against the Fighting Illini (17-3, 9-2). Illinois won by scores of 25-18, 25-17, 13-25, 26-28 and 15-11.
IU coach Sherry Dunbar said while the team played well, she was disappointed to not emerge victorious.
“I felt like we should’ve come out and been ready to fight a lot harder at the beginning,” Dunbar said. “These kids have to believe that they can play with the best in the nation. I feel like we’re still begging them to fight and to do the things we’re asking them to do.”
With the exception of the third set, Illinois’ hitting was strong throughout the match. Hitters Laura DeBruler, Michelle Bartsch and Kylie McCulley combined for 48 kills. Middle blockers Johannah Bangert and Erin Johnson added 14 more.
IU freshman outside hitter Jordan Haverly posted another double-double with 19 kills and 13 digs. Junior middle blocker Ashley Benson, who did not play in the first set, added 13 kills and three block assists with sophomore setter Mary Chaudoin, who also recorded one solo block.
Graduate right-side hitter Whitney Thomas and junior middle blocker/right-side hitter Taylor Wittmer added 9 and 6 kills, respectively. Sophomore libero Caitlin Cox had 17 digs, one of which resulted in a kill.
The Illini controlled the first two sets and won each by sizeable margins.
The Hoosiers began the third set with renewed vigor, winning seven straight points for a 7-1 early lead. IU cruised in the frame with efficient hitting and dominant serving as freshman setter Whitney Granado posted two aces. The Hoosiers put themselves back in the match with the 25-13 win in set three.
Despite a 12-8 early lead for IU in the fourth frame, the Illini found their rhythm and battled back to a 14-14 deadlock that would begin a back-and-forth point exchange. The rally lasted beyond a 24-23 IU lead and into extra points.
At 26-26, Illinois’ DeBruler erred on serve and gave the Hoosiers another set point, and Haverly responded with a down-the-line kill to force a fifth contest and put IU in position to knock off the nation’s No.6 team.
However, mistakes early in the fifth set prevented the Hoosiers from finishing their sensational comeback. After winning the first point, freshman defensive specialist Laura Matula committed a service error, IU lined up in an illegal formation and Haverly erred twice, putting the team in a 5-1 hole from which they could not recover. The Illini hitters put away the match 15-11.
The Hoosiers play again at 7 p.m. Saturday against Northwestern. The Wildcats (12-11, 3-8) defeated Purdue in five sets Friday.
Drew Allen is a junior majoring in journalism. He is the volleyball beat reporter.
Post a comment
All comments (0)