Hoosiers look to improve in rematches
The Hoosiers travel to Penn State and Ohio State for their last two-game weekend road trip of the season.
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The Hoosiers travel to Penn State and Ohio State for their last two-game weekend road trip of the season.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After junior middle blocker Samantha Thrower managed three straight kills to cap off a five-set Senior Night victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the collective feeling of relief could be felt throughout University Gym.“Every point was an emotional battle,” junior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said. “Every point, whether we won it or lost it, we felt the hard work we had just put into that point. It felt great. Even being tired, it felt awesome to put that much into every point and to find the result that we got tonight.”When IU’s losing streak was extended to 17 games after they were swept Friday by the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers, the team did not make it easy on itself.In a first set that saw multiple long points highlighted by diving saves on both sides, the final point was decided on what looked to be a floated set by junior setter Whitney Granado into a vacated area of the Hawkeye defense. Instead, the referees called a double hit on Granado and awarded the point to Iowa to close out the set 25-21.The Hoosiers came out flat in the second set and let the Hawkeyes go on a 16-4 run after an early 3-3 tie to put IU down 19-7. Though the cream and crimson battled back to trail 24-18, the set was decided on another IU error when freshman middle blocker Morgan Leach touched the net during the set point. Trailing two sets to none against the Hawkeyes on Saturday’s Senior Night, the IU women’s volleyball team went into the locker room during the mid-match break facing yet another heartbreaking moment in a losing 2011 season. Marschall said IU Coach Sherry Dunbar left the team’s Senior Night fate to the players.“(Dunbar) left it up to us and said we have to make the decision on how we want to play and how we want to end Senior Night,” Marschall said.With their backs against the wall, the Hoosiers battled back to win the match in a five-set Senior Night comeback, ending IU’s 17-game losing streak and clinching its first conference win of the season.Marschall and Thrower led the charge back.Entering the third set, Marschall had only recorded four kills and Thrower had posted only three. But the duo’s impact on the attack and block would energize University Gym and take the momentum of the match for IU.Marschall, who posted her fourth straight 15-plus kill performance with 18 kills on the night, tallied 14 of those kills in the last three sets.Thrower had 11 of her 14 kills in the final three sets, but the sophomore out of Sycamore, Ill., also blocked six of her career-high eight blocks in the final three sets.Leach and right-side hitter Kristen Seaton each added 12 kills to put four Hoosiers in double digits for kills. On defense, the team recorded 87 digs, including a career-high 28 digs from senior libero Caitlin Cox and double digit dig performances from Granado, with 16, and sophomore defensive specialist Melanie Hicks, with 10.After the game, four seniors — Cox, Seaton, outside hitter Lindsay Enterline and setter Mary Chaudoin — were honored with a Senior Night ceremony and video presentation.Cox said the entire day was an emotional roller coaster, which led her to an unscheduled trip to the store in an attempt to ease her nerves.“The emotions hit me from the moment I woke up this morning,” Cox said. “I had to go to Target today because I was so depressed and get brownie and cake mix to bake to relax. It was a baking day.”While the team’s intensity and play picked up when the game was on the line, Dunbar said the match was all about fighting together for each other to finally get a victory.“I think, of course, they wanted to play hard for the seniors, but I think more importantly they just wanted to find a win,” Dunbar said. “It couldn’t have been more perfect because we’ve fought all season, so to come back from down 0-2, and to fight to come back to win in five was really the perfect emphasis of what we’ve been talking about all year.”
Let's take a quick look at Friday's match between the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers and the IU women's volleyball team.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bittersweet.That’s how IU senior libero Caitlin Cox described how Saturday’s Senior Night celebrations against Iowa will feel.“It’s been so fun to play here for the last four years,” Cox said. “It’s not something that we have exactly waited for, but it’s something to add to our memories here.”The weekend begins Friday as No. 2 Nebraska volleyball travels to Bloomington for the first time in school history. In the teams’ first meeting of season, the Cornhuskers swept the Hoosiers in Lincoln, Neb. On Saturday, the Senior Night festivities kick off to honor seniors Mary Chaudoin, Caitlin Cox, Lindsay Enterline and Kristen Seaton as the Hoosiers look to avenge their mid-season, five-set loss to the Hawkeyes.Cox said the celebration, which is during the second-to-last home game because the final home match against Purdue is the day before Thanksgiving, will be an emotional way to honor the seniors, but should not be more emotional than the final match against Purdue.“It’s to let everyone know about our accomplishments on and off of the court and celebrate what we’ve done here for this program,” Cox said. “I don’t think it will be as sad because technically it is not our last home game, which I think will help us all get through this.”With the games on the schedule dwindling, Enterline, who originally began her college career on the women’s basketball team, said part of the enjoyment of playing with her fellow seniors is how the four each bring something different and have all taken different paths to senior night.“Everyone brings something different to the game and a different personality, and yet we still mesh so well,” Enterline said. “That’s what I love. We have all had different paths that have brought us here to the same place.”While some of the seniors admitted the season has not gone the way they had hoped it would — currently riding a 16-game losing streak — Seaton said the journey the team has traveled has taught her life lessons.“Coach Dunbar told us at the beginning of the season that this season was going to be a journey,” Seaton said. “Some of these memories from this process — sticking together as a team — has been a really good lesson and a really good experience that I will take on for the rest of my life.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Wearing funny outfits, donning horrible hats and singing Spice Girls at the top of their lungs with the windows rolled down on the way to Cold Stone Creamery — this is how the friendship between IU women’s volleyball seniors Caitlin Cox and Mary Chaudoin began.“That’s how it all started, and ever since then (Mary and I) have been inseparable,” Cox said. “Whenever we are with each other’s parents, we are like daughters to them and she’s my sister. She’s the sister I never had.”While that’s how the friendship officially began, Cox remembers the first time she met the blonde-haired Peachtree City, Ga., native at an AAU tournament. The interaction that ensued in pregame warmups was the first indication of how Chaudoin’s out-going, energetic personality would blend with Cox’s all-business passion on the court.“I was warming up, and I was peppering, and all of a sudden I hear, ‘Yeah, Caitlin Cox,’ and I look over and it was her and I’m thinking, ‘Who is this tall blonde girl? I have no idea who it is,’” Cox said. “She knew that I was fresh from commitment, and we didn’t really know anyone, so we got all excited to meet each other.”Standing side-by-side, one might think the 5-foot-2-inch Cox would have been intimidated by the 6-foot-2 Chaudoin.Chaudoin said even though she and many other volleyball players tower over Cox, Cox’s attitude dominates the court as the most passionate and competitive leader with whom she has ever played.“It’s funny because she is this little thing and is extremely feisty and vocally feisty,” Chaudoin said. “I’m obviously a lot bigger than her, but I would say that I’m a little bit more emotional and have a softer side.”Chaudoin said the size difference has even been the gag of their own on-going Halloween tradition of dressing up together with (somewhat) matching outfits.“It started our sophomore year when we dressed up as Snickers bars. I was king-size and she was fun-size,” Chaudoin said. “This year, we dressed up as McDonald’s, and she was a Happy Meal and I was super-sized.”Throughout the years as their Halloween costumes have evolved and progressed, so has the IU volleyball program.Entering as a freshman, Cox said she knew the program was not going to be a national contender right away, but the ultimate goal was to bring unparalleled success to IU volleyball.“I knew it was going to be something that was going to be worked for and that was important to me,” Cox said.Statistically, Cox is the best libero IU has ever seen. As a four-year starter, Cox burned through the record books. This season, Cox broke Juli Pierce’s all-time school digs record and currently sits at 1,796 digs for her career. She set the single season digs record with 513 last year. Along with being the all-time and single season digs leader, the senior from Springport, Ind., has 108 career service aces.Cox said the satisfaction of elevating a program to a level that she never anticipated it could achieve may be unmatched by one of her close friends who chose Penn State, a national powerhouse, and has won three consecutive National Championships with them.“She loves volleyball, but I don’t know if it’s that same satisfaction just blowing people out,” Cox said. “I think it made me a better person to come into a program like this to mature and grow and to overcome the best and worst in life.”For Chaudoin, being a part of the change in the Indiana volleyball program has been a blessing.“Coming in my freshman year, the program mentality was a lot different than it is now, and I’m glad to say that I was a part of that change,” Chaudoin said. “Regardless of what was on the scoreboard, (Cox and I) got after it every day with our work ethic and passion for the game and that is what we really established and will be the legacy we leave behind.”So, as the final days of their senior seasons dwindle away, Cox and Chaudoin both admitted that life after volleyball will be tough, especially because there will be times where they won’t see each other every day.Cox and Chaudoin know their friendship will never end.“Cait is my best friend,” Chaudoin said. “She is always there for me both on and off the court. She’s helped me through a lot.”Cox echoed the sentiment.“Whenever I have any problem, I know I can count on her to be there to listen, to give me advice or to make me feel better about myself,” Cox said. “She is my best friend. She will be my maid of honor. She is just everything I could have hoped for to find a best friend in college. I’m very blessed to have her and her family in my life.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For Lindsay Enterline and Kristen Seaton, the roads that led them to senior night on the women’s volleyball team were different but share a common thread: overcoming the adversity of injuries and switching teams.Enterline began her career at IU on the women’s basketball team following in the footsteps of her sister and former Hoosier point guard, Leah Enterline. The daughter of Robert Enterline, a NCAA Division I basketball official, the 6-foot athlete played sporadically her freshman year but was faced with a decision when a preseason knee injury ended her season and eventually her basketball career. Enter IU Coach Sherry Dunbar and the IU women’s volleyball team. Enterline said the confidence Dunbar showed in dealing with her injuries added to her desire to return to volleyball, the sport in which Enterline set her high school’s records in kills, attack percentage, digs and blocks while earning four letters in volleyball, basketball and softball.“Having a coach that believed in me and gave me the opportunity and said, ‘You know what’s right for you. Push it till you can’t push it anymore, and when you’re done you’re done,’ was huge,” Enterline said. The opportunity paid off last year as Enterline played a role in the Hoosiers’ run to the Sweet 16, the best finish in school history.While it was the program’s first postseason berth since 2002, Enterline played in the postseason for the second time in her collegiate career — the first when the IU women’s basketball team went to the NIT in her freshman year.“To get to play in the tournament for both sports, it’s been wonderful,” Enterline said. “I could not have asked for more. I love both sports equally. It’s been fun to be able to experience both at such a high level.”As for Seaton, the road to senior night actually began when she was a young girl growing up in Terre Haute and rooting for the Hoosiers “I used to come down here as a little girl, and I’d watch the basketball games,” Seaton said. “Just being a part of this community is really special to me.”While Seaton is the first member of her family to attend IU, the 6-foot-5 lefty started her career at Pepperdine and did not transfer until before what would have been her senior season, a season eliminated by knee injuries. Seaton transferred to IU and graduated last spring with one year of eligibility left. The southpaw said the transition between schools was not the difficult part of the transfer; rather, the uncertainty surrounding her playing career was the tough part to cope with. “I had already graduated and was done, so I started in the program and didn’t have to catch up,” Seaton said. “I was still getting back into volleyball because I took almost a whole year off and I thought I was done, but it feels good to be back in rhythm and to be helpful to my team.” Seaton has been more than helpful in the last three weeks. Starting with an 11-kill performance off the bench against Purdue on Oct. 19, Seaton has been one of the Hoosiers’ top attackers, averaging 7.8 kills (including two different 10-kill nights) in the five matches after the Purdue match.Enterline said although Seaton has had a different and brief IU experience, everyone in the program is proud she has been able to finish her career the right way.“She didn’t get to experience last year with us, but she got to come in this year and have another senior year and really end her career the way she wanted it to go,” Enterline said. As these two different paths have merged in the final steps before senior night and the closing weeks of the season, Seaton and Enterline said they would not trade their time at IU for anything.“Putting on the Indiana jersey is special and nothing can quite replace that,” Enterline said, “but all the memories that are made during the week and spending time with your friends every day — I’m going to miss that a lot.”
Struggles continued throughout the weekend for the IU women’s volleyball team as it lost to Northwestern and No. 5 Illinois, extending the losing streak to 16 games.
Let's take a quick look at the IU women's volleyball team's match against the Northwestern Wildcats in Bloomington, Indiana.
This weekend will kick off a four-game home stand for the Hoosiers as they return to University Gym against Northwestern and Illinois on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
No. 22 Michigan swept IU on Saturday for IU’s 14th consecutive loss.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the IU women’s volleyball team extended its losing streak to three games Sept. 23, with a loss to then-No. 18 Michigan in the Big Ten season opener, the Hoosiers could not have predicted a winless month would follow.After Wednesday’s loss to Michigan State, the team’s losing streak sits at 13 games as the Hoosiers will travel to Ann Arbor for a Saturday night showdown with the now-No. 19 Wolverines.Last time the teams met, the Wolverines swept the Hoosiers in three sets. Throughout the match, IU had no answer for Michigan’s Lexi Erwin and Alex Hunt, as they led with 14 and 11 kills, respectively.This time around, if the Hoosiers are going to rebound against the Wolverines, the team must do a better job winning the hitting percentage battle. Last match, the Wolverines dominated with a .358 hitting percentage compared to IU’s meager .100 percentage.One way the Hoosiers can slow down Michigan’s attack is by getting a lot of block touches in the front row. Junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime said the team needs to do a better job of getting in front of the opponent’s attack quicker.“It is a lot about getting over early and taking away the shot that they are comfortable with,” Obeime said. “When you get over there early and press over the net, they are required to either get blocked or hit around it, and I think we have just been a little late getting over.”IU’s outside hitter Kristen Seaton and middle blocker Samantha Thrower look to build on their 10-kill performances against Michigan State on Wednesday.Seaton, who has battled the injury bug throughout her career, has come on strong in the last week, starting with her 11-kill performance Oct. 19 against Purdue. The big night prompted IU Coach Sherry Dunbar to start Seaton in the last two matches against Wisconsin and Michigan State, where Seaton recorded seven and 10 kills, respectively.Dunbar said the back-to-back Michigan road trips in one week will not be easy on the team, but it is something that all Big Ten teams have to deal with this year.“Everyone in the Big Ten is doing odd trips this year with the addition of Nebraska because it changes things around with the travel,” Dunbar said. “The good part is we have enough time to prepare individually for each team, but hopefully missing classes and travel time won’t affect us too much.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the second straight Wednesday, the Hoosiers displayed the same heart that took the team to the Sweet 16 last year.For the second straight Wednesday, that heart was just not enough, as the Hoosiers lost a 13th game in a row to Michigan State in four sets.In the first set, the Hoosiers jumped out to an early 7-5 lead before the Spartans took control, winning the first set 25-19. Spartan senior Jenilee Rathje led Michigan State with five kills in five attempts. Rathje exploited the Hoosiers’ block, which at times looked non-exsistent in the first set, and bad passing.“We had some trouble blocking on the seams and up top,” middle blocker Samantha Thrower said. “They did a good job of finding our weaknesses, but there was room for improvement on our side.”The Hoosiers showed flashes of success against Michigan State, which recorded 11.5 blocks in the first meeting between the teams and ranked fifth in the nation, averaging 2.64 blocks per set. Thrower led the way for the Hoosiers with four kills in four attempts in the first.Trailing one set to none, IU controlled the tempo of the second set, sparked by a 6-1 run to go up 12-6, and never looked back to even the match at a set a piece.Unlike during the first set, the Hoosiers’ blocking made it difficult for Michigan State’s attack. The Spartans had five errors in the second set compared to only eight errors in the first. Juniors Whitney Granado and Ivie Obeime had key blocks during that 6-1 run. They were the most effective players on the court throughout the set.“We really tried to key in on some of their main hitters,” Granado said. “For myself, being a smaller player, I just try to get myself up there and present a good block.”After the break, the Spartans’ serving came out on fire, dominating IU with three early aces to jump out to a 7-3 lead that the Hoosiers could not come back from, losing 25-15.It was a battle of good serving, as the Hoosiers were aggressive through the first three sets. For three sets, the Spartans and Hoosiers had eight and six service aces, respectively.Senior libero Caitlin Cox, who became the 15th Hoosier to rack up 100 career aces last weekend against Wisconsin, spiked three aces and recorded 11 digs, while Granado sparked the Hoosiers with 34 assists, seven digs, three aces and three blocks.After the break, the same problems that plagued IU in the first set — bad passing and lack of a block — were exposed by Rathje and Alexis Mathews, who combined for seven kills in the third (five and two, respectively).IU was down two sets to one. The fourth set was all about heart for the Hoosiers, and there was plenty of fight in the back-and-forth set.IU took the lead 15-10 into a mid-set media timeout. After MSU rattled off six straight points, Dunbar inserted one of the team’s most electric players, Lindsay Enterline, to raise the energy level.Enterline made an immediate impact, teaming up with middle blocker Morgan Leach to block the ball during her first point in the game.Rathje and Mathews finished the match with 21 and 13 kills, respectively. Overall, the Hoosiers had great attacking performances from outside hitter Kristen Seaton and Thrower, who had 10 kills each.“We try to look at the positives, but it comes down to fighting,” Granado said. “Every game is a big game for us, and teams look at us a little differently. They think it’s going to be a little easier against us, so we really need to bring it to them.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the IU women’s volleyball team entering the second half of the Big Ten schedule winless, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar and the rest of the coaching staff are preaching one focus heading into Wednesday’s match at Michigan State.“Accountability,” Dunbar said. “It’s about doing your job, whatever your job is, making sure that you are doing that job at a high enough level and you are getting enough reps in practice to do it Wednesday night.”The Wednesday match will be the second in two weeks, as the Hoosiers lost a five-set match last Wednesday to the then-No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers.Junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime said despite the physical strain, she enjoys the short week.”You don’t have to wait so long to get another chance to beat someone,” Obeime said. “A lot of people might think it is physically demanding, which it is, but you get over that because you want to play, and that’s why we are here.”With the quick turnaround, Obeime said she hopes to replicate her last performance, in which she had 16 kills against Wisconsin on Saturday while also drawing on her previous success against Michigan State.In the first match against Michigan State this season, Obeime posted 15 kills against the Spartans, while fellow outside hitter Kelci Marschall added 13 kills of her own before Michigan State won the match in four sets.In the first match, Michigan State had 46 kills in 91 attempts (.374 hitting percentage), while the Hoosiers had 45 in 112 attempts (.161 hitting percentage).Part of the reason the Hoosiers’ attack sputtered in the first match-up was the Spartans’ defense, which recorded 11.5 blocks in the first meeting.Heading into Wednesday, the Spartans rank 24th in the nation, averaging 2.64 blocks per set.While Michigan State is ranked in the top 25 in blocks, Marschall said the Hoosiers are used to seeing good blocking teams every match in the Big Ten.“Everyone in the Big Ten is huge and really good blocking teams,” Marschall said. “That’s something we need to use to our advantage by working swings off and finding seams.”In the last meeting, the Spartans’ offense was led by senior stars Kyndra Abron and Jenilee Rathje, who had 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Rathje currently ranks 16th in the nation with a 4.49 kills per set average, including more than 20 kills in both of Michigan State’s matches last weekend against then-No. 21 Michigan and Ohio State.Obeime said the Hoosiers will need to get their hands on as many attacks as possible.“It’s easier on our defense when we either stop the ball or make it slower for them,” Obeime said. “This week, we need to get a lot of block touches to shut down their big swingers.”Dunbar said Rathje and Abron are the types of players who, when together, are players a team just hopes to beat.“Rathje is one of the best players in the conference,” Dunbar said. “Abron is a big, physical kid and hits a heavy ball.“When they are in the front row together, they are very hard to contain. When one is in, we will really need to focus on her.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After another Big Ten loss, the IU women’s volleyball team’s losing streak now sits at 12 matches.Unlike most of the matches during the streak, though, IU started Saturday’s match against Wisconsin by taking a back-and-forth first set.Led by junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime’s nine kills in the first set, the Hoosiers overcame 12 ties to win 25-20.Along with Obeime’s stellar first set performance, libero Caitlin Cox added three of her five service aces in the first, including her 100th career ace on her first serve of the match. With that ace, Cox became the 15th player in IU history to record more than 100 service aces.Obeime said the first set was typical IU volleyball.“We were very aggressive. We had fun, and when we smile and have fun, we play great,” Obeime said. “When we see a little bit of frustration, that is when we can’t let ourselves make mistakes.”After the energetic first set, the problem that had plagued this year’s team all season — lack of energy resulting in sloppy play — reared itself once again halfway through the second set.After being tied at 10-10, the Badgers rode a 15-8 run to even the match at a set a piece. During the run, the Hoosiers were noticeably less energetic on the court and at times seemed hesitant, problems IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said would last the rest of the match.“Our light bulb switched off after it was on,” Dunbar said. “That’s a decision that you have to make to stay aggressive.”The third set closely resembled the second. After tying the score at 7-7, the Badgers rattled off a 18-11 run from which the Hoosiers could not recover. At no point in the fourth set did the Hoosiers lead or tie the score, eventually dropping the final set 25-19.On the IU attack, graduate student Kristen Seaton made her first Big Ten start of the season. After her best performance of the season off the bench Wednesday night against No. 12 Purdue (11 kills), Seaton recorded seven kills on 19 attempts (.158 average) against the Badgers.“I was a little nervous,” Seaton said. “Starting is a little bit different than coming in once the flow has been established.”While the Badgers’ offense was efficient throughout the night, IU juniors Kelci Marschall and Samantha Thrower struggled, hitting -.121 percent (seven kills and 11 errors) and .000 percent (six kills and six errors), respectively.Dunbar said Marschall was dealing with migraine headaches the night before, but said whether or not Marschall was affected, the team as a whole needs to step up.“Marschall has been one of our most consistent players for us this year,” Dunbar said. “Collectively, we need to do something different than what we are doing right now. It’s not just one person.”
Let's take a quick look at Saturday's Big Ten women's volleyball match-up between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, Ind..
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s been more than a month since the IU women’s volleyball team won a game.That’s the reality for the IU entering this Saturday’s match against Wisconsin.On Wednesday, the team’s losing streak extended to 11 games, dropping a five-set heartbreaker to in-state rival No. 12 Purdue.IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said after a passive first set, the team turned up the intensity and transformed into a completely different team.“We stayed in every point and battled with them,” Dunbar said. “It was a tough one to lose, but for the first time we began to see a lot of the things that we had worked on in practice carry over to the match.”One of the things Dunbar and the Hoosiers have focused on this week in practice has been effective attacking early in the set.So far this season, the Hoosiers have struggled on the attack — entering the week ranked second to last in the Big Ten in both kills per set (11.95) and hitting percentage (.177).Against the Boilermakers, the Hoosiers had four players with more than 10 kills. They hit .138 percent as a team.Attacking the Badger defense will be tough as Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in digs per set, averaging 16.05. The Badgers’ defense is led by sophomore defensive specialist Annemarie Hickey, who leads the Big Ten with 4.85 digs per set.In comparison, the Hoosiers are second to last in the Big Ten in digs per set (13 digs per set). While overall the team has struggled getting to and digging balls, libero Caitlin Cox ranks seventh in the conference with 4.24 digs per set.On Monday, Cox said the team needs to be confident in itself — even with the long losing streak.“We need to take this as a challenge,” Cox said. “If we go into matches with the right attitude and mindset, we will have the confidence to make these good matches.”With five players averaging more than 2.09 kills per set, the Badgers boast a balanced offensive attack that is led by Alexis Mitchell, who ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage with a .353 average. Heading into the week, Wisconsin ranks sixth in kills in the Big Ten.If the Hoosiers are going to have success defending the Badgers, middle blocker Samantha Thrower said the team’s block will need to step up.“We have really been working on our blocking techniques and strong blocking movements this week to be more aggressive,” Thrower said.With a young team that has been taking its lumps in Big Ten play, Dunbar said the progress she has seen from her team has put the Hoosiers in a position to be successful, but that next step is the biggest.“I told the team that the next step is believing that you can actually win,” Dunbar said. “We have to get to that step now. Competing is great, but now we need to find a way to win.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the battle for statewide glory, Indiana, riding a 10-game losing streak into West Lafayette, took No. 12 Purdue to five sets, falling in the fifth set 15-6.After losing the first set, the Hoosiers battled back from four set points to win the set 32-30.IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said the difference between the team in the first and second sets was like night and day.“Our mentality was so great,” Dunbar said. “The first set, we were so passive. We talked between sets, and I told them we need to turn up the intensity. It was a different team.”In the next set, the Hoosiers jumped out to a lead, but the set saw 12 ties before the Hoosiers fell behind 23-21, forcing Dunbar to take her first timeout of the set.The Hoosiers responded by winning the next two points to even the score at 23-23. After junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime’s serve went out of bounds to give Purdue a set point, Dunbar used another timeout.“You always try to make the server take that extra second,” Dunbar said. “We had the play we wanted, but we just couldn’t put the ball away.”Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, they dropped the next point and third set to fall behind, two sets to one.“I was happy we didn’t let them run off,” Dunbar said. “We stayed in every point and battled with them.”IU responded and won the fourth set 25-23. Purdue fought off several set points trailing 24-20, but Obeime buried the Boilermakers with her tenth kill of the night. IU never trailed in the set.With the match on the line, the Hoosiers had a slow start in the final set, trailing 5-1 early, and could not keep up the fight, losing the set 15-6 and the match three sets to two.During the night, two players had double-doubles, including junior setter Whitney Granado, who had 39 assists and 10 digs.“I thought Whitney came in and really balanced out the offense for us,” Dunbar said. “The last set is tough because it’s only 15 points, and they jumped on us early, but I was very proud of our effort.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It is not for the Oaken Bucket, but the emotion of the IU-Purdue rivalry will be amped up for tonight’s women’s volleyball match as the Hoosiers bring a 10-game losing streak into West Lafayette, Ind.“It comes down to a pride issue,” junior middle blocker Samantha Thrower said. “They are our in-state rivals. They are the team we really want to beat this week, so we are going all out.”In two matches last weekend, the Hoosiers were swept by two top-25 ranked teams, No. 24 Ohio State and No. 9 Penn State. The current 10-game losing streak is the longest since IU Coach Sherry Dunbar took over the program, one year after the Hoosiers lost the last 19 games of the 2006 season.Through the losing streak, Dunbar said the team’s morale is still positive.“There have been no problems, no negative deterrents,” Dunbar said. “I’m very proud of them. It’s still easy to come into the gym with them.”On the court, the Boilermakers’ attack is led by outside hitter Ariel Turner, with 295 kills and a 4.68-kills-per-set average for the season and middle blocker Tiffany Fisher, who leads the Big Ten with a .424 hitting percentage. Senior libero Caitlin Cox said the only way IU can effectively control Turner is by locating her on the floor every play.“We just can’t let her get on her runs,” Cox said. “She can hit anywhere on the court. She is someone that as a front row, we always need to be on top of where she is at on the floor, because she will move around.”Before the Purdue game every year, the team must practice with the Purdue fight song blaring on the speakers, an IU tradition she said gives her another reason to despise Purdue. “It is so loud in there that you have to learn to drown that out and only listen to what’s going on on the court and with the coaches,” Cox said. “We do this every year. It’s terrible.”Junior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall and junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime are leading the team with 227 kills and 161 kills, respectively.Dunbar said the attack has been better as of late, but the team still needs to step it up against Purdue.“First ball kills is still the main focus for us in practice,” Dunbar said. “We did a better job over the weekend, but we still didn’t do a good enough job to take it to another level.”Dunbar said the records get thrown out the window whenever these two rivals tango. “Anytime you play your rival, it’s always a competitive match and an emotional match for both teams,” Dunbar said. “We have had losing seasons and have come back and beat them and have had winning seasons, like last year, and lost to them both times. It’s that one match you play with a lot of emotion and
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team had a different script to the same ending. IU volleyball (8-11, 0-8) lost another two games this weekend at home against two Big Ten opponents. After winning eight of the first 10 games this season, the Hoosiers have lost their last 10.On Friday, No. 24 Ohio State (14-6, 4-3) defeated IU in four sets, 25-16, 23-25, 25-12 and 26-24, at University Gym.Emily Danks, OSU junior outside hitter, led both sides with 21 kills and played a crucial role, blocking in the Buckeyes’ front line defense. OSU finished with a .408 attack percentage to IU’s .137.The Hoosiers were led by junior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall with 13 kills and junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime with 10 kills.Senior libero Caitlin Cox recorded 19 digs, as well as one of the IU’s two serving aces in the game.“Our communication was better, our effort was better,” Marschall said. “I think we were a whole lot more aggressive with everything.”On Saturday, the same result was written into the record book, but this loss took three sets.No. 9 Penn State (14-6, 4-3) beat the Hoosiers in three sets, 25-18, 25-16 and 25-21.The crowd showed up with good attendance, even with Hoosier Hysteria the same night.“I was really happy with our crowd, even going against Hoosier Hysteria,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.Marschall had six kills in the game.Junior middle blocker Samantha Thrower also added six kills.“We really made Penn State play hard,” Dunbar said. “Every point was a mini-battle for them.”So far, Big Ten play hasn’t been easy for the Hoosiers, and eight of the next 12 games are against ranked Big Ten opponents.“Every game and every point is going to be a fight,” Marschall said. “The harder we work, the better we get.”Dunbar discussed the game plan to improve at this point in the season.“We need to win the battles in practice,” Dunbar said. “Also, we still need to find that potential, and there are still a lot of games left.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Eight matches and counting.That’s how long the losing streak has stretched for the IU women’s volleyball team entering its first home series since Sept. 23 and 24. IU will take on No. 24 Ohio State and No. 9 Penn State this weekend.To make the long losing streak worse, the Hoosiers are the only Big Ten team without a conference win. IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she has never experienced a losing streak like this.“Losing you can get out of,” Dunbar said. “We are focusing on keeping that foundation strong and coming in with a hungry attitude each day.”The weekend begins Friday when the Buckeyes (13-6) visit University Gym. The Buckeyes have had a good season so far, cracking the top-25 ranking two weeks ago, but the team is 3-3 in the Big Ten.Offensively, Ohio State ranks fourth nationally in kills per set, with 14.75, and sixth in assists per set.The Buckeyes’ attack starts with serving — especially from 6-foot-1 junior Emily Danks, who is among the nation’s best servers,. She ranks sixth nationally, as she is averaging 0.57 aces per set. While Danks and OSU’s serving has been a strength all season, junior Kelci Marschall said the Hoosiers have been working on different types of serving this week to help set up the offense.“We all have been working on serving to different spots, serving it a little shorter and dropping it into the mid-zone or deep to work the passers around,” Marschall said. “We want to keep them guessing to keep the momentum on our side.”On Saturday, the Nittany Lions bring their 11-5 record to IU in hopes of avenging last year’s loss to the Hoosiers (3 sets to 1) in Bloomington when Penn State was ranked No. 4 in the nation.Like Ohio State, this year’s Lions are led by a star server, true freshman Micha Hancock. Hancock leads the nation with an average of 0.82 aces per set.Along with Hancock, Penn State’s middle hitter Katie Slay is in the top of the national rankings in blocks per set and hitting percentage, ranking 18th and 15th in those respective categories.Senior setter Mary Chaudoin said for the team to get out of the funk that they have been in, the players need to refocus on playing IU volleyball.“We are a gritty team that plays with passion,” Chaudoin said. “It’s very easy to get into yourself sometimes and to lose focus of the bigger goal and the bigger team identity. We have really refocused on that and we are ready to compete this weekend.”