IU sweeps weekend

The sixes were wild coming into this weekend for the Hoosier volleyball team, floating on a 6-6 Big Ten record and running sixth place in the conference. The team said they could turn the tide with a pair of matches against the 25th ranked Michigan State Spartans Friday and the Michigan Wolverines Saturday.\nIU managed to sweep Michigan State 3-0, and take a close match against the Wolverines 3-2, improving their overall record to 18-8, and conference record to 8-6, good for a fourth ranking in the Big Ten, and their best conference start in seven years. \n"I think we had a great weekend. We put everything together and came through with a sweep," coach Katie Weismiller said.\nSaturday's match against the Wolverines was a battle with the Hoosiers coming back from a 2-1 deficit to take the match. The first game of the evening had the Hoosiers taking a 7-0 lead. From this point, IU never looked back and took the game 30-19.\nGame two was a close battle that had the Hoosiers looking as if they had the game in the bag 28-25. But Michigan couldn't be vanquished, taking game two 31-29, tying the match 1-1.\nGame three was yet another battle, with Michigan keeping the Hoosiers at bay with small leads throughout the game. IU was able to pull itself back to a 26-26 tie, but the Wolverines were able to regain their composure and took the game 30-26 and a 2-1 match lead.\nFacing potential defeat, the Hoosiers managed to overtake an early Michigan run and tie the game 6-6. IU then ignited by scoring 14 of the next 17 points, placing the score at 20-9. Michigan was again able to climb back to within seven with a service error by junior middle blocker Melissa Brewer, placing the score at 22-15. The Hoosiers took the game 30-21 by quadrupling Michigan's hitting percentage .206 to .048, and tying the match at two games apiece. \nGame five was a thriller with the Wolverines taking a 10-7 lead, until Brewer and sophomore middle blocker Katie Pollom turned the tide by blocking a powerful Michigan hit, allowing a close 15-13 Hoosier victory.\nSaturday's match was a thriller for the team, but the Hoosiers said they kept themselves focused.\n"We didn't let anything get to us. We just came out and kept on playing, and after an error, we just came back and brought out something new," sophomore outside hitter Christina Archibald said. Archibald led the game with 26 kills, along with Pollom adding a career-high 23 kills of her own. Victoria Zimmerman controlled the offense with 71 assists, just two shy of her career record. After such a close victory, the team was elated by their tough play.\n"It feels great to finish," Pollom said. "We played extremely well at different times tonight, and struggled at times, but we regained the momentum in game four and finished well in game five."\nFriday's match against the 25th ranked Michigan State Spartans had the Hoosiers in top form. Game one began with the Hoosiers on top 26-22 forcing a Spartans timeout. IU then extended their lead by two, only to have Michigan State score three straight to bring the score to 28-25. The Spartans pulled themselves back to a 29-27 deficit, but junior outside hitter Nikki Hill finished it out with a kill 30-27.\nGame two had the Hoosiers rocket out to a 10-2 lead, but the tide turned with the Spartans pulling themselves within two for a 20-18 score. The Hoosiers controlled the rest of the way and overtook Michigan State 30-26.\nThe third game of the night had the Hoosiers fighting to keep up with Michigan State until knotting the score at 19 apiece. IU went on a three point run with a kill by Pollom to place the score at 22-19 IU, but the Spartans then answered back with their own three point run to knot the score again. Following tradition, IU answered back with another three point run to place the score at 25-22 Hoosiers, and taking the game 30-26, sweeping the match.\n"Michigan State is a good team, and I felt like we came in prepared," Weismiller said. "(IU) came in confident, and we executed tonight. We stuck with our game plan. We knew what they were going to do, and it gave us a lot of confidence."\nWith the Hoosiers moving into a tie with the Wolverines for fourth place in the Big Ten, the team still said there is something to prove.\n"This win is one more step in the direction of proving ourselves," Pollom said. "We have worked all season on gaining respect and this was just one more way to do it"