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(11/02/12 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU sophomore middle blocker Morgan Leach will likely hear the chant of “traitor” from Illini fans again when she goes back to her hometown Champaign, Ill.“Last year I got the ‘traitor’ chant,” Leach said. “They completely just go after me. It’s weird, but it’s cool because my friends and family come to support me, and usually my high school team comes to watch me.”Leach and her Hoosiers (10-14, 2-10) look to rebound against Illinois (10-13, 4-9) and Northwestern (15-8, 4-8) this weekend after dropping their previous matches against both schools. IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she was disappointed in her team last weekend.In practice Monday, the team watched the tape of two top-five programs go at it.“You know what we actually watched was the (No. 4) Nebraska and (No. 3) Penn State match,” Dunbar said. “I just had them watch those teams, not technically, but just what it looked like to watch two teams fight.”After an Oct. 5 loss at home to Iowa, IU started to click and played well against ranked competition, Dunbar said.The team took Nebraska to five sets, stole a set from then-No. 19 Ohio State and then-No. 1 Penn State, took down then-No. 17 Purdue and defeated Wisconsin for their first conference winning streak in two years.Last weekend, the team submitted a lackluster performance in which they won only one set combined against unranked Michigan State and Michigan.“I don’t know the answers, and I’m not afraid to say that,” Dunbar said. “We’re moving in a certain direction for two and a half weeks, and all of a sudden that changes. I don’t have the answers as to why that changed.”IU looks to get back on track against defending NCAA Tournament runner-up Illinois Saturday night. When the teams met in Bloomington on Sept. 28, the Fighting Illini took down the Hoosiers in four sets.Since then, the Illini have gone 2-8 and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.IU will try to get its first win in five years at Huff Hall.First, the Hoosiers travel to the shores of Lake Michigan to play the Wildcats on Friday.IU will need to contain Stephanie Holthus, who averaged 5.25 kills a set against the cream and crimson earlier this year and who has a good relationship with one of the Hoosiers.“Me and her were actually on the same team in club,” senior middle blocker Samantha Thrower said. “So it’s always an enjoyable challenge playing against a great player like that.”Holthus is third in the conference, averaging 4.21 kills per set, and was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.“I think those players are going to get kills,” Dunbar said. “That’s the first thing you have to know. You have to try and limit them. You can’t let them have a hay day on you, but you have to understand they are going to do their thing.”
(10/29/12 3:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team had its two-match win streak snapped this weekend after winning just one set combined against Michigan State and Michigan in two matches in Bloomington.“For me, it’s just disappointing,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “I truly think that we have the talent to do a lot of great things, but now we’re looking at four weeks left, and there’s no postseason.”Indiana (10-14, 2-10) fell to Michigan State (17-7, 5-7) and Michigan (17-9, 5-7) this weekend, making it 10 straight losses to Big Ten teams from the Great Lakes state.Against the Spartans, IU was down 23-18 in the first set before rattling off six straight points to take the set 26-24.After losing a close second set 25-23, IU was down 20-19 in the third set when sophomore middle blocker Morgan Leach went down with a right leg injury.She needed assistance getting off the court, and even though she came back during the next set, her team could not regain the momentum.“It’s always difficult when one of your starters goes down,” junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said. “Everything just gets a little jumbled, and it did affect us a little bit.”The Spartans finished off the Hoosiers in the third set and took the fourth as well. Before the Leach injury, IU had been outscored by one point, 69-68. After the sophomore went down, the Hoosiers were outscored 30-18.Leach was back in the lineup Saturday against Michigan.IU got in a 3-0 hole in set one and never recovered, losing 25-15. The Hoosiers then lost the second set 32-30.The second set featured 14 ties and seven lead changes, marking the first time either team had scored 30 points in a set this season.“That’s the team we are, battle back-and-forth,” said Kelci Marschall, senior right-side hitter. “It’s always hard to lose. You never want to lose, but that changed our mentality and made us want to go after it more.”The Hoosiers couldn’t maintain that momentum, falling 25-17 in the third and decdiing game.“I think we just didn’t fight as much as we have,” Haverly said. “We didn’t come out with as much passion. We worked pretty hard, but not as hard as we could have.”In the previous matches IU won, against Purdue and Wisconsin, the team had 14 more service aces than its opponents. This weekend the Spartans and Wolverines combined for three more aces than the Hoosiers.“The two things that we’re very good at in the first two matches were our defensive mentality and our serving,” Dunbar said. “And I don’t think either one of those matched up to the standard we had set.”The mentality of the team is the onus of the players, though, Dunbar said.“I’ll put the blame on me a lot of times, but when it comes to competing, they have to look within,” Dunbar said. “When the whistle blows, that competition mode has to come. That’s the one thing they’ve got to own up to. They have to be prepared to play.”
(10/26/12 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After its first back-to-back conference wins in two years, the IU volleyball team (10-12, 2-8) looks to extend its streak against Michigan State (16-6, 4-6) and Michigan (16-8, 4-6) this weekend.“Our defense has improved tremendously,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “Over the two matches we won, I think we’ve dug 16 or 17 balls a set, which is probably three or four more digs then we’ve had before.”Anchoring the defense has been junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen. After picking up back-to-back career-highs in digs against Purdue and Wisconsin, the junior was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.“We’ve all picked up where everyone left off,” Hansen said. “If someone is struggling, then we’ll pick each other up. Our biggest thing is not looking at other people to make the big play. We are each stepping up.”For the first time this year, the Hoosiers face teams they have already played. They lost to the Spartans in straight sets and the Wolverines in four sets a month ago.“We really feel like we could have beat them at their place,” senior setter Whitney Granado said. “We made it very clear in the locker room that when they come here, we’re going to have our home court advantage, and we’re going to beat them.”Earlier in the year, Dunbar felt the Hoosiers could have beaten the maize and blue.“Michigan’s playing good ball,” Dunbar said. “They took Penn State to five sets this weekend. I think they’ve improved a little bit, but I still think that was a winnable match for us.”Conversely, when the Hoosiers played the Spartans, the Hoosiers failed to score more than 21 points in any set.“They’re probably one of the most athletic teams in our conference right now,” Dunbar said. “So if they are in their system, we’re probably in trouble ... So we’ll have to take good shot selection with our hitters. We can’t just bang away.”The team is done with half of the conference schedule, and teams get fatigued at this point, Granado said.“I think we’re definitely on the up-climb where a lot of teams are going to start to tail off,” Granado said.
(10/23/12 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Hoosiers to two wins this past week with 48 digs.She is the first Hoosier to win the award in more than a year. The last player to win was another Caitlin. Then-senior Caitlin Cox took the award Sept. 12, 2011.Hansen was reinstated into the libero position against Purdue last week after she lost her starting libero job in the fourth set against Illinois on Sept. 28 to freshman defensive specialist Courtney Harnish and responded with two career highs.Hansen had a then-career-high 22 digs when IU took down No. 17 Purdue on Oct. 16. She outdid herself against Wisconsin last Friday, tallying a new career high with 26 digs.The Hoosiers won both games thanks in large part to their defense which was anchored by Hansen, senior setter Whitney Granado said.“I would honestly say our defense has just been unreal these two matches,” Granado said. “I mean, Caitlin Hansen, obviously she broke both her career highs in both matches, and so we’ve been doing a really good job of keeping the ball off the floor.”Hansen leads the Hoosiers and ranks eighth in the conference with 3.58 digs per set. In the last two matches, the defensive standout has averaged six digs per set to gain the award.She looks to maintain her hot streak this weekend as the Hoosiers welcome Michigan State on Friday and Michigan on Saturday into University Gym.— Evan Hoopfer
(10/22/12 10:44pm)
Junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Monday after leading her Hoosiers to two wins this past week with the help of 48 digs.
(10/22/12 4:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team did something it hadn’t in 735 days Friday — win a Big Ten road match.“We looked at each other and said, ‘You keep fighting for me,’” junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen said. “We knew we were tired, but they were more tired. We just had this mentality, whoever was on the other side of the net, we were just going to get after it.”IU (10-12, 2-8) beat Wisconsin (15-8, 3-7) on the road Friday, besting the Badgers in four sets (19-25, 25-17, 30-28, 25-21), and picked up its second straight conference win.When the score was knotted at one set apiece, IU found itself up 24-20 in set three, needing one point to secure the set victory.The Badgers rallied to tie the score 24-24. After enduring three Wisconsin set points, Indiana converted on their sixth set point.“I never had a feeling we were going to lose,” junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said. “We were eventually going to keep fighting and win. It was just weird, you know you have that feeling sometimes. I knew we were going to win that set.”Freshman outside hitter Amelia Anderson’s two aces took the set for the Hoosiers 30-28.“It felt awesome,” Anderson said. “Because after the first one I was like ‘Ok, standing float, I’ll take it,’ and the second one, I went back there and was just like, ‘Serve tough Amelia, serve tough,’ and I came out with two aces.”Anderson contributed nine kills and has improved during the last two matches, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.“We said last time she was growing up a lot after the Purdue match,” Dunbar said. “There were a lot of heated pressure situations tonight. Long rallies and big plays needed to be made ... It’s just nice to see a freshman in a big time environment.”Anderson’s two aces at the end of set three played to the theme of the night, the IU service game. The Hoosiers had 11 service aces, compared to the Badgers’ four.“That was our main focus,” Dunbar said. “We served some short balls and deep balls, and they just got really rattled throughout all that.”Hansen recorded another career high with 26 digs. She improved her previous career high, set last Tuesday against Purdue.“She’s been doing amazing,” Haverly said. “It’s been good for us, because when she gets digs, she boosts everyone’s confidence. We know she’s back there, and it makes us work harder. I think she’s been a big part of our success.” Hansen displayed a lack of confidence in the first potion of the conference schedule, Dunbar said. She was reinstated as the libero against Purdue and responded with back-to-back career highs in digs.“I thought before, she would get in slumps, and it would take her out of the whole match,” Dunbar said. “I see a new confidence in her, and she’s at a level we knew she could be at.”
(10/19/12 4:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU will attempt to do something Friday it hasn’t in two years: win back-to-back Big Ten games.Their most recent victory, Tuesday night against No. 17 Purdue, gave the Hoosiers their first conference win of the season. The victory gave the team more motivation, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.“We’ve been waiting on this and been pushing so hard,” Dunbar said. “I think our offseason training will hopefully help us even more now as teams get tired. I think we’re going to keep going up.”Indiana (9-12, 1-8) will travel north to Madison, Wis., to take on the Badgers (15-7, 3-6) at 8 p.m. Friday. The match will air live on Big Ten Network.After picking up the victory against their archrival Purdue on Tuesday, junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen said her team’s motivation has risen. “I think it makes us even more hungry,” Hansen said. “We already knew we could win, we proved that to ourselves tonight. Now people are going to expect us to win and we’re going to expect ourselves to win.”Hansen got the start at libero against Purdue, taking the spot back from freshman defensive specialist Courtney Harnish, and responded with a career-high 22 digs.The Hoosiers will have to contend with Wisconsin’s libero Annemarie Hickey, who is second in the conference with 4.73 digs per set.Despite having the conference runner-up in digs, Wisconsin’s defense rates ninth in the Big Ten in kills allowed, giving up 12.56 per set.Comparatively, the Hoosiers rank sixth in the conference in that statistic, with an average of 12.25 kills allowed per set.Wisconsin also allows the second most service aces per set in the conference, letting opponents ace them an average of 1.27 times per set.Looking to exploit the Badgers weakness for defending aces will be junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, who leads the team and is sixth in the Big Ten with an average of 0.33 service aces per set.The team changed its training regimen this offseason, making it more intensive and giving the team an edge on the competition, Dunbar said.“I think our offseason work was very, very hard and challenging,” Dunbar said. “I think that’s going to keep us in good shape, and I think we got a shot now to take this and bounce off of it a bit.”
(10/17/12 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team gathered at center court, jumping up and down with their arms around each other, and sang the Indiana fight song. It was the first win of the Big Ten season for the Hoosiers.“We know how good of a team we are,” senior middle blocker Samantha Thrower said. “We were just waiting to prove it to everybody, and that’s what we did tonight.” IU (9-12, 1-8) took down No. 17 Purdue (14-6, 5-4) in four sets Tuesday to grab its first Big Ten victory of the season.“We fought all week, and I think we put ourselves in good opportunities,” junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen said. “We executed, and we stayed in the moment the entire time.”Hansen got the start at libero and responded with a career-high 22 digs. Since the fourth set against Illinois on Sept. 28, freshman defensive specialist Courtney Harnish had been the team’s libero instead of Hansen.“I think (Hansen) did a really good job,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “I think she really struggled in that third set, and then I think she made a decision that she was going to step up and start passing better.”After withstanding a Purdue rally, IU was able to take the first set 25-22.IU ran out to a 20-13 lead in the second set. The Boilermakers went on a 10-3 run to knot the score at 23-23.Junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly recorded a kill, followed by sophomore middle blocker Morgan Leach’s block to take the set 25-23.This was the first time in 28 Big Ten matches that IU had gone up two sets to none on a conference opponent. Purdue stormed to a 14-7 lead in the third set and never relinquished control, picking up the 25-15 win.IU had nine hitting errors, more in the set than kills, recording just seven in the frame. The team had to regroup to bounce back from a tough third set, Dunbar said.After struggling in the third set, Hansen said the team told each other to stay in the moment and keep calm.“We just kept fighting,” Hansen said. “That was our biggest thing. We are going to fight harder to them, and we did.” The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair but ended when Thrower and senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall combined for the match-clinching block.Dunbar said her team has been playing at a high level for two weeks. During that span, the team took then-No. 4 Nebraska to five sets and were able to steal a set from then-No. 19 Ohio State and No. 1 Penn State.“I had a good feeling going in, because I had a good feeling the last two weeks,” Dunbar said. “I knew that at some point it was going to come through.”The team’s play in the fourth set was not a result of luck, but simply a decision to win, Dunbar said.“I said, ‘Look, we have to make a decision that our will is stronger than their will,’” Dunbar said. “And we came out right away, we got an ace, a block and we scored three points really quickly, and that was a really good start for us.”
(10/16/12 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Valuable points in the Crimson and Gold Cup will be awarded today as the IU volleyball team welcomes No. 17 Purdue to University Gym.“It’s truly a fun match to play every year,” senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said. “It’s always a battle. It just has that feeling, you know? It’s Purdue.”Indiana (8-12, 0-8) is the lone Big Ten team without a conference win this season. IU will look for its first Big Ten victory against instate-rival, Purdue (14-5, 5-3), who is tied for fourth in the conference.This is the first match of the year where the Hoosiers will play on a weekday, as they usually square off with other teams on Friday or Saturday nights.“Our assistants have already cut up the matches from last weekend and the week before,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “So we got our scouting report almost done.”Sunday’s practice had a lot of review of game film, junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen said.“Basically we’re going to be watching a lot of film,” Hansen said. “The coaches have been doing a great job getting us prepared. Now it’s our turn. We’ve been given all the tools we need, and we have to channel it in the right direction so we can get our first win in the Big Ten.”After starting 4-0 in Big Ten play, the Boilermakers went three matches without winning a set against Nebraska, Iowa and Penn State.Purdue was able to stop its skid Saturday as it took down No. 19 Ohio State in four sets.The player to watch on Purdue’s squad is outside hitter Ariel Turner. She is third in the Big Ten, averaging 4.84 points per set and fourth in kills per set at 4.18.Last year Turner was named Big Ten Player of the Year, a First Team All-American and was named Big Ten Player of the Week five times.In the two matches the teams played against each other in 2011, Turner totaled 53 total kills against IU, an average of 5.9 kills per set.Purdue has owned the series as of late, winning 10 of the last 12 meetings with Indiana. The last time the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers at home, Kelvin Sampson was the head coach of the men’s basketball program.Eleven out of the team’s 15 members have not seen a victory against Purdue in their careers, including Hansen.“I think it’s something where we most want to beat them,” Hansen said. “In-state rival, that’s always the biggest thing, and if we can get a win on them, it will improve ourselves. We will try to prove ourselves.”
(10/15/12 4:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall became the 16th player in IU’s 38-year history to record 1,000 kills in her career this weekend.“She is a big cornerstone of our program,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “She has a passion for this team and the program and the school. I think she is really obsessed about volleyball.”Despite Marschall reaching a career milestone, the Hoosiers (8-12, 0-8) fell in four sets to No. 19 Ohio State (23-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-17) and No. 1 Penn State (22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21).Marschall was quick to give credit for her achievement to her teammates.“It means a lot,” Marschall said. “It really reflects your teammates and the people around you, because with volleyball, you can’t do it all by yourself. You need teammates to make it happen, so it says a lot about them.”Junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen said she appreciates what Marschall has taught her teammates about the game during her time in Bloomington.“She’s a great leader for us on and off the court,” Hansen said. “She’s always in the gym early ... I think her mentality drops down to us juniors and sophomores a lot, especially during the game.”Hansen led her team with 32 digs this weekend, picking up 16 in both matches, and she thought her team worked hard on the defensive end.“We had nothing to lose at this point, and we were always the aggressor,” Hansen said. “We were taking chances, and I think it really showed. We didn’t hold back.”Despite the 0-8 conference record, Dunbar said the team’s competitiveness lately makes her think they are on the upswing.“The locker room feels like it, too,” Dunbar said. “There’s a disappointment in losing. Obviously, no one likes losing. But there’s a determination that if everybody keeps getting a little bit better, together we’re doing some great things.”The Hoosiers were without senior setter Whitney Granado, who is recuperating from a leg injury. Freshman setter Katie Gallagher took her place and fared well, Dunbar said.“Katie did a great job this weekend,” Dunbar said. “I don’t think we missed a beat having her in, and I thought she stepped up to the challenge and ran the team just fine.”Before Penn State played IU, they had blown through Big Ten competition, losing only four of the 25 sets the team had played against conference foes this season. With the Nittany Lions up two sets to one, IU had a chance to steal the fourth set.“In the fourth set, we were up 7-0 against the No. 1 team in the country, so I thought we did some really good things against them,” Dunbar said.Penn State went on an 8-1 run to close the gap, and IU was never able to recapture the momentum.“We had a lot of goals that we wanted to accomplish this weekend,” Marschall said. “I think we’re really making strides in the right direction as far as really competing and battling with those teams.”
(10/11/12 3:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 1 team in the country and winner of four of the last five national championships with a 16-1 overall record. That is the résumé of Penn State, against which the IU volleyball team will square off this weekend.After a narrow loss to then-No. 3 Nebraska on Oct. 6, the team is even more focused this week in practice, senior setter Whitney Granado said.“Nebraska was a bit of a heart breaker in that we had them,” Granado said. “And we just didn’t pull it out in the end. So, we were a little upset and kind of pissed off.”Being competitive was not enough for the team to be happy, senior middle blocker Samantha Thrower said.“It may have been our best volleyball this season, but it doesn’t satisfy us,” Thrower said.IU (8-10, 0-6) will turn its attention to this weekend’s action as it goes on the road to face No. 19 Ohio State and No. 1 Penn State.Ohio State (13-5, 4-2) is in the midst of a three-game win streak. Buckeye senior Mari Hole averages 4.06 kills per set, seventh in the Big Ten. Comparatively, IU’s kills leader, unior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, is averaging 4.07 kills, sixth in the Big Ten.After battling the Buckeyes, IU will take a trip to central Pennsylvania to face the top program in the nation: Penn State.During a streak in which it has also bested three nationally ranked teams, Penn State has outscored opponents in total sets 30-4.Anchoring the Nittany Lions’ defense is junior Katie Slay, who leads the conference with 1.39 blocks per set.Penn State’s sophomore Micha Hancock also leads the conference with 11.66 assists per set and has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this year.Granado said the Nebraska match has motivated her team to get in the gym and work.“We’re ready to take the next step,” Granado said.The team has increased its level of focus and looks to alter things, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.“I felt like the mood was great in practice,” Dunbar said. “Determined, high energy and ready to make some changes this week.”
(10/10/12 2:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior setter Whitney Granado barks instructions at her teammate, freshman setter Katie Gallagher, as she watches her perform a defensive drill in practice. “Talk to them, Katie,” Granado screams, standing on the other side of the net, doling out advice to the freshman.Granado has taken the setter position back from Gallagher after Granado missed the entire non-conference portion of the schedule with mononucleosis.The co-captain learned in mid-July she had contracted the illness. At first, the prognosis was that she would be out three to four weeks. However, she did not progress as doctors had hoped.“Then, I started having abdominal issues,” Granado said. “It became kind of a week-by-week thing as far as what I would get to do, what’s going to hurt and what’s not. Then the weeks just kept on going by.”The slow pace was aggravating, she said, because she was not seeing results.“It was just a little bit frustrating, with the testing and not knowing what’s going on,” Granado said.Gallagher had to take the place of the three-year veteran, something Granado helped with.“She’s been super helpful,” Gallagher said. “She’s really open with talking about what I need to do to improve or how to change something in my studying or my footwork or my defensive stance.”Not being with the team took its toll on Granado.“Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to travel with them,” Granado said. “It was really difficult, but I tried to stay as engaged as I could and bond with the team.”Granado was finally healthy enough to play Sept. 21, and she took the reins of the team against Michigan.“There’s always that missing piece in the puzzle when a player is out,” senior middle blocker Samantha Thrower said. “To have her back, especially in our senior year, is good.”IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said Granado has a long journey to get back where she was.“I think a lot of it is that she’s been out for two and a half months,” Dunbar said. “She came back out of shape basically because they wouldn’t let her do anything — bike, running or volleyball.”Granado said she still thinks her conditioning is not at the level it needs to be, especially after enduring a five-set match against Nebraska.“I’m definitely still getting back into game shape,” Granado said. “Especially going five sets, it’s a little bit tiring. So, it’s just a process of trying to get through practices as hard as I can and turning it up a whole other level to get through two matches in the weekend.”Being a cocaptain, Granado has a presence on the floor Gallagher could not bring to the table, Dunbar said.“I think that’s the difference with her and (Gallagher) right now,” Dunbar said. “(Gallagher) is doing a great job, and I don’t want to overlook what she’s doing, but (Granado) brings that experience of playing at the highest level.” Granado is coming off the Nebraska match in which she had a career-high 62 assists.One thing Granado will continue to do this year is mentor Gallagher, she said, who also reminds teammates of a freshman Granado.“I think she is a vision of (Granado) when she got here her freshman year,” Thrower said. “So, it’s promising.”
(10/08/12 3:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team (8-10, 0-6) suffered a down-to-the-wire loss against No. 4 Nebraska (13-2, 5-1) Saturday night, falling to the Cornhuskers in five sets (25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-10).“That team should have been had tonight,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “We had our opportunity to do that, and we have to take the opportunity when the opportunity is given.”The Hoosiers also fell to Iowa this weekend, pushing their Big Ten record to 0-6 in the process.After battling in the first set against Nebraska and losing it in the last few points, IU went on to win the second and third sets and had a 12-8 lead in the fourth set. Nebraska eliminated the possibility of an upset by taking the rest of the fourth and fifth sets by outscoring IU 32-15.The only other team to push Nebraska to five sets this season was UCLA, when the Bruins were No. 1.“I’m really disappointed,” Dunbar said. “We should have won that match. I thought when we were confident and we were in control of our emotions and fear and doubt, I thought we were in total control.”Senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said after a lackluster performance against Iowa the night before, her team was ready to compete against the conference juggernaut.“I think we made a decision to be better,” Marschall said. “I think we went home last night and knew we had to change, and I think we made a change.”The Hoosiers had more kills, digs and assists in the match than Nebraska, but the Cornhuskers led in the total points stat 103-100.Despite being competitive against such elite competition, the loss still hurts, sophomore middle blocker Morgan Leach said.“We were right there,” Leach said. “We know that if we would have picked up some of the little things that we could have won.”The five-set match was tougher to swallow than if the team would not have been competitive in the match, Dunbar said.“It’s harder because you’re right there, and you have that opportunity,” Dunbar said. “That’s why I came to Indiana, to play teams like that and to beat teams like that. It’s just tough.”IU’s failure against Iowa came in four sets (25- 21, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22).Last year, when Iowa and Indiana met in University Gym, Iowa jumped out to a 2-0 set lead only to see Indiana take the last three sets to give the Hoosiers their only conference win of the season.No such magic was in store for this year’s contest as Indiana’s fourth set rally fell short. IU gave the Hawkeyes their first Big Ten conference road win in 1,108 days.Going forward, Marschall said the loss against Nebraska was a little easier to manage because the team played drastically better than it had the previous night against Iowa, but coming so close to the upset still stings.“Any loss is still a loss, and that hurts,” Marschall said. “It is a little bit easier to feel like you played better and you played as hard as you could and gave your best effort.”
(10/05/12 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This weekend, the IU volleyball team will play a school at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, Iowa, and the next day face the No. 4 team in the country, Nebraska.Despite the disparity between the two teams in succession this year, senior setter Whitney Granado explained each match must be approached the same way.“Any team in the Big Ten can show up in any night,” Granado said. “You don’t take any teams lightly because they won’t take you lightly.”IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she is not as focused on the opponents as much as her own team.“I think we’re so focused on what we’re doing right now on our team’s side,” Dunbar said. “We have to get that right before we’re worried so much about how Nebraska’s doing or Iowa’s doing.”A major question for the team is Granado’s health. After missing the entire nonconference portion of the schedule due to mononucleosis, Granado has been working her way back but has still missed a few sets in conference play due to complications with her illness.She says she has been feeling better and gave her health a high percentage.“Ninety-two percent,” Granado said after asking her trainer. “That’s a professional opinion. You can cite my source on that one.”On Friday, the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes will play in a rematch of last year when IU picked up its only conference win of the year. Both teams finished 1-19 last year in the Big Ten with each of their lone wins coming from games against each other.This year, Iowa (8-9, 0-4 in the Big Ten) is looking for their first conference win of the year. Only IU and Iowa are winless in the conference this season.The Hawkeyes have been outscored 12-1 in total sets this year in the Big Ten and have lost to teams such as Pacific, Oakland and Southeast Missouri in nonconference play.Though the two teams have almost identical records, IU averages 1.15 kills for every one kill by their opponents. The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, average 0.95 kills for every one kill by their opposition.Iowa features the Big Ten leader in digs. Junior defensive specialist Bethany Yeager leads the conference with 4.88 digs per set.Comparatively, junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen leads the Hoosiers with 3.35 digs per set.Last weekend, Hansen was replaced at libero by freshman defensive specialist Courtney Harnish, who responded with a match-high 19 digs against Northwestern. Dunbar said she liked the confidence Harnish brought to the table.“I thought she was good,” Dunbar said. “I thought she passed really well, and she showed a lot of confidence on the court. I thought she was communicating a lot, and that’s what we’re looking for.”The competition is not over for the libero spot on the team, as Dunbar said the position is up for the taking.“I think all four of our defensive players are going to have chances to be libero,” Dunbar said. “Depending on the match and depending on the practices that they’re having ... We’re looking for players that are in competition mode 100 percent of the time.”Saturday the Hoosiers welcome No. 4 Nebraska (11-2, 3-1 in the Big Ten) into University Gym.The Cornhuskers were at one point the No. 1 team in the nation this season but lost their top ranking when they fell to then-No. 25 Iowa State in an upset. Their only conference loss this year was to Penn State, who is now the No. 1 team in the country.Last season, the Hoosiers were unable to take a set from Nebraska, losing both matches in three-set sweeps against the Cornhuskers.Nebraska senior Lauren Cook is third in the Big Ten with 11.22 assists per set for the other school that calls themselves Big Red.This is the third consecutive year the Hoosiers have started 0-4 in conference play. Last year, the team finished tied for last in the Big Ten standings.Granado remembers when the team rallied two years ago and had a much different conclusion to their season.“We’ve been in this situation before where we’ve gone 0-4 into the Big Ten,” Granado said. “That was our sweet 16 year, so we have high expectations no matter who we’re playing.”
(10/01/12 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team (8-8, 0-4 in the Big Ten) jumped to a 1-0 set lead against Illinois and Northwestern this weekend, then proceeded to lose the next three sets, losing both matches.IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she liked how her team started and finished the matches, but she said her team needs to address the little spurts they let the opposing teams have.“At points in time, we lose three or four points in a row,” Dunbar said. “It’s those strings of points that get us.”This problem has plagued the team all season. In first sets, the team is 12-4 on the year. However, their overall record does not reflect their first set success.“Honestly, I think we played hard in the first game and maybe let up a bit,” junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said. “The other team had more incentive. It was not for a lack of working hard and trying for sure.”After taking a set from the national championship runners up Illinois, the Hoosiers fell in four sets (22-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-20).The first set saw a momentum shifting 8-0 Hoosier run sparked by two aces from junior defensive specialist Melanie Hicks to take an 18-11 lead.From that point on, the Illini outscored the Hoosiers 86-56 in the match.The Illini kept a 20-11 lead in the second set when senior setter Whitney Granado was replaced by freshman setter Katie Gallagher. “I think (Granado) is just fatigued,” Dunbar said. “When you come back from not practicing for two and a half months or so and you come in, I think she’s going to battle fatigue a little bit.”Before the fourth set, freshman defensive specialist Courtney Harnish replaced junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen at libero. Harnish thought she responded well to the challenge.“I was so ready,” Harnish said. “I’ve been working for it, and I wanted to make a difference.”Harnish started at libero in place of Hansen in the Northwestern match. Dunbar saw a confidence in her that needed to be implemented on the court.“We’re looking for confidence on the court,” Dunbar said. “And I really felt like she was showing a lot of confidence. When she was in at (defensive specialist), she was just nonstop talking, really still and there was a confidence about her we could feel on the coaches’ staff.”Harnish had a match-high 19 digs, but her team fell short (23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-23). Even with the loss, Harnish’s teammates said they were impressed with the freshman’s play.“She did great,” Haverly said. “She played out of her mind today.”Haverly had a match-high 23 kills, and she thought her team competed hard against Northwestern and could have taken the match.“I think tonight we’ve fought as hard as we’ve ever fought this season,” Haverly said. “We’re all really proud of tonight, and if one or two things would have gone differently, we would have gone into the fifth set, and we think we would have had them.”
(09/28/12 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The difference between this year’s volleyball team and last year’s, which went 1-18 in Big Ten play, is that this year’s team has the talent to compete more consistently, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.“Last year it wasn’t there,” Dunbar said. “We didn’t have the personnel to play that high a level. I think we’re more determined to get the practice that we’re getting into game competition.”After falling in their first two conference games of the year, IU (8-6 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) will look to recover this weekend against Illinois (7-5, 1-1) and Northwestern (11-2).The Fighting Illini come into University Gym to play the Hoosiers at 7 p.m. Friday. Illinois split its opening weekend action in the Big Ten, falling to Minnesota in straight sets and besting Wisconsin in five.The Illini had a rocky start to their season, losing to Dayton and Pepperdine in their first two matches, both 3-0 sweeps.After fighting the Illini, IU will turn around the next day to fight off the Wildcats. The Hoosiers will face Northwestern at 7 p.m. Saturday.After racing out to a 11-0 start in nonconference play, the Wildcats dropped both of their Big Ten openers to Minnesota and Wisconsin.Indiana will have to contain junior outside hitter Stephanie Holthus, who leads the Wildcats with 4.31 kills per set and chips in 3.31 digs per set.Northwestern has a consistent and healthy base, as eight players have played in all 48 sets of this season.In comparison, only junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen and senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall have played in every set for Indiana this season.The major change last weekend for the Hoosiers was at the setter position, when senior setter Whitney Granado, after battling illness during non-conference play, took the reins back from freshman setter Katie Gallagher.The team won’t know until after Thursday’s practice who the team’s setter will be for the weekend, Dunbar said.Junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said she does not have a preference either way who sets for the team, but she is more familiar with Granado after three years of practice with her.“They are both really good setters,” Haverly said. “They both have their own styles ... I just think the experience that Whitney has and the experience we have with her just helps it run a little more smoothly. But, I mean, in time, Katie will have that, too.”
(09/26/12 2:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After each away game victory, the IU volleyball team has a tradition. Immediately after singing the IU fight song, the team breaks into another tune.“Big mac! Macky mac mac mac mac! Big mac! Macky mac mac mac mac!”Senior manager Nick Mackall takes his cue and bellows, “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!”It’s a tradition that was started spontaneously, Mackall said.“How did that start? That’s a really good question,” Mackall said with a laugh. “I think it started on a whim one time. Actually, when (senior right-side hitter) Kelci (Marschall) and those guys were freshmen is when it started.”Mackall is the manager for the volleyball team and in his fifth season for the Hoosiers. On the current coaching staff, only Head Coach Sherry Dunbar has had a longer tenure than Mackall in the IU program.He has been part of volleyball for 10 years and said he loves every second of it.“Volleyball kind of started for me when I was a seventh-grader,” Mackall said. “That was the same year that my sister picked up playing the game. I figured I’d try it and see if I liked it. Turns out I did.”The love for the game he displays is apparent to everyone around him, junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said.“Mackall loves volleyball more than anybody I know,” Haverly said. “He will be on the bus all the time keeping us posted on all the different game scores. He listens to it in the hotels and updates us all the time with stats.”Former IU setter Mary Chaudoin came into the program with Mackall. Chaudoin, who graduated from IU last year, said she knows Mackall as well as anybody.“He just has a passion for volleyball like no one else I know,” Chaudoin said with a smile. “He truly lives and breathes volleyball. Throughout the four years, consistently seeing him coming into the gym every day loving life and loving the game is really inspirational to all the players.” Dunbar said she thinks Mackall’s role in the program has been good because he was able to find a support system right away in college.“He’s been good for our program, and we’ve been good for him,” Dunbar said. “Because I think this gave him that family at the University, kind of gave him that purpose.”Mackall puts in as many hours as the players during practice, which is a huge time commitment, Dunbar said.“He’s pretty much an athlete here as far as the time commitment,” she said. “We have practice every day from 2:45 to 5:45, and he’s here at 2:20 and stays until the end of practice. It’s exactly the time commitment for our kids.”Haverly says he is always there for the team, providing everything from a consoling hug after a tough loss to help with math homework on the bus.“He’s just always there for us with anything we need, volleyball related or not,” Haverly said. “He was one of the first people that said he was praying for me when I got hurt. He’s just a great person all around.”There is no offseason for Mackall, as the team practices every day in fall and spring.“The spring is very similar to the fall, with the only difference that instead of practice being in the evenings and the afternoons, it begins before the sun comes up, literally,” Mackall said.Mackall won’t be with the team in spring, though. He will graduate after this semester with his degrees in secondary mathematics education and computer technology.With Mackall’s graduation, a new question arises. Who will sing the song after the Hoosiers win a road game?“I don’t know,” Haverly said. “I didn’t think about that. That is going to be sad. Maybe we’ll still sing it just to honor him.”
(09/24/12 4:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior setter Whitney Granado, a three-year veteran on the IU women’s volleyball team, saw her first action of the season this weekend.The co-captain had been battling a case of mononucleosis during the nonconference portion of this season’s schedule, and she said she was excited to get back onto the court this weekend in the team’s first conference matches of the season and lead her team.“I think for not having practiced for a long time, I’m pretty happy with how I played,” Granado said. “But obviously I have a lot to improve on, trying to get back into the flow of things.” Yet even during the hype of Granado’s return, the Hoosiers lost their conference opener Friday 8-6 (0-2), falling to Michigan in four sets (25-19, 16-25, 25-20, 25-21).The Wolverines took a 23-12 lead in the first set. At that point, Granado was substituted into the lineup for freshman setter Katie Gallagher.IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she thought she needed to inject some energy into her team and that Granado could fill the role of spark plug for her team.“We were down by about six in that first set, and I felt like we needed something different,” Dunbar said. “She (Granado) practiced only one day, but she’s been feeling really good the last few days, and I just thought, ‘Let’s try it.’”IU fell in the set but ended on a 7-2 to take the momentum of the match.The second set saw the Hoosiers hold Michigan to a .000 hitting percentage, tallying up 17 kills for the 25-16 set win.IU jumped out to a 15-10 lead in the third set — because Granado had been inserted in the lineup, the Hoosiers had outscored the Wolverines 47-28. At that point, the tides turned. The Wolverines took back the momentum and went on a 15-5 run, taking the third set 25-20, and they closed out the match with a close fourth set victory 25-21 to take the match.Despite the loss, Dunbar said she was proud of how her team battled on the road.“Last night, I was really inspired,” Dunbar said. “I thought we fought really hard last night. We really had some opportunities to beat Michigan.”The next day, the Hoosiers failed to recover from their loss to Michigan and suffered their second loss of the weekend when No. 25 Michigan State defeated them in straight sets (25-21, 25-17, 25-17).The Spartans had trouble putting away the Hoosiers in the first set as they led 24-16 until IU went on a 5-0 run, winning five-straight Spartan set points to cut the lead down to 24-21. But Michigan State was finally able to secure the final point and took the first set.The second set was tightly contested with the Spartans leading 17-15, but Michigan State then overwhelmed the Hoosiers on an 8-2 run and took the second set.The Spartans also controlled the third and final set of the weekend for the Hoosiers, winning again 25-17 to take the match in straight sets.Spartan outside hitter Lauren Wicinski had a game-high 14 kills on the night. Granado contributed 19 assists and led the team with 11 digs, recording a double-double in her first match of the season.However, Dunbar said she’s still unsure whether Granado has officially taken the job as the team’s setter away from Gallagher.Granado’s health is still a concern, Dunbar added, because in the Michigan State match, the senior had to be taken out because she was starting to feel ill.“She struggled a little bit tonight with her stomach and everything, so we had to take her out,” Dunbar said. “It’s a battle. Every position to me is a battle. You earn it in practice, and that’s how we’re going to choose who plays.”Granado was pleased with her team’s progress this weekend. Even though the team went 0-2, she said the team made big improvements.“I think this weekend was a really big step for us in terms of playing hard and playing the Indiana way,” Granado said. “I know the results don’t really show it, but as a team, this was the first time that we really brought it, and we should be proud of what we put on the floor.”
(09/21/12 3:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman outside hitter Amelia Anderson hardly let the question conclude before giving her answer if she was excited or nervous heading into her first Big Ten action of the season.“Excited. I’m so excited,” Anderson said. “I’m a freshman, and I’ve been coming here for so long watching all the Big Ten games, I’m just so excited to finally be a part of that.”The freshman is coming off a weekend where she earned all-tournament honors in the Hoosier Classic.“I think my performance really reflected how I did in practice,” Anderson said. “I had a lot of things I needed to work on, and I think I really worked on those in practice, and I think it really showed.”The 8-4 Hoosiers will start the weekend at Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday. The Wolverines are 12-2 on the season with their two losses coming against unranked Marquette and Western Kentucky.Cliff Keen Arena is the smallest volleyball facility in the conference, with a capacity of just 1,800. Last year, the maize and blue were 7-6 at home.The Wolverines are led by junior Lexi Erwin with 4.13 kills per set. In comparison, the kills leader for the Hoosiers has been junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, who averages 3.96 kills per set.Senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said she thinks her team is ready to open Big Ten play. “I think this past weekend we made a lot of strides in the right direction,” Marschall said. “And I think this is going to be a good test and a good chance for us to keep working on what we’ve accomplished so far.”After trying to cage the Wolverines, the Hoosiers will take a bus ride to East Lansing to battle the Michigan State Spartans.When the Hoosiers take on the Spartans at 8 p.m. Saturday, they will look to hand Michigan State its first loss of the season.The Spartans’ perfect 12-0 record includes going six-for-six in home matches this year. In all, Michigan State has defeated opponents in total sets 36-4.Lauren Wicinski is the player to watch this match as she leads her Spartans in kills, with 4.55 per set, and service aces, with a total of 30 this season.Wicinski also chips in on defense with her average of 2.22 digs per set ranking second on the team. To defeat such competition, IU will have to improve its passing, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.“I think we get stuck in some of the two-hitter rotations,” Dunbar said. “And our passing has to be on so we can run whatever offense we want to run.”In volleyball, the home-court advantage can be huge, especially in a premiere conference such as the Big Ten, Dunbar said.“The Big Ten has the best fan base in the country for volleyball,” Dunbar said. “In the end, that’s why we have a sports psychologist. If you let that distract you, that’s going to be a huge problem.”
(09/20/12 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite having the least number of total spectators in the Big Ten season last year, IU’s fan base relative to its performance and the size of the stadium is one of the strongest in the conference.“They’re a Big Ten crowd,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said of her fans. “You’ll see once the Big Ten season opens up we’ll get bigger and bigger crowds. They love a high level of volleyball, and we’ve always had good crowds.”The team plays their games in University Gymnasium which has a seating capacity of 2,000, making it the conference’s second smallest stadium behind Michigan’s Cliff Keen Arena.Despite being small in size, it more than makes up for the discrepancy with the amount of noise the facility produces, Dunbar said.“I think it gets very loud in here,” Dunbar said. “This is one of those places where because of the low ceiling and how it’s shaped with the four stands right around the court, it can get extremely loud in here. We’ve definitely used that to our advantage in the past.”Last year, IU drew 9,100 fans in Big Ten play, averaging 910 a game.While this figure is the lowest in the conference, IU reveals itself as having one of the most loyal fan bases in the conference.The IU fans have a huge impact on the action, senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said.“I just absolutely love our fans,” Marschall said. “It’s so much fun to play in front of a crowd that gets into it with you and rides the roller coaster of the game with you, and I think it makes us play way better.”