Junior trying to 'kill' injury bug

A season ago IU junior Christina Archibald struggled with various injuries, whether it was her back or her feet.\nDespite the injuries that dogged her all year, Archibald played in all 33 matches and 130 games for the Hoosiers women's volleyball team last season.\n"It feels great to be healthy now," Archibald said. "I just like to stay on the court, go out there and play."\nArchibald earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last year and broke IU's single-season record for kills with 555. She currently ranks 11th on IU's career kills list with 919. During last season, Archibald was named to numerous All-Tournament teams including the NIU/Best Western Invitational, IU TIS/Taylor Invitational, the Terrapin Invitational and was selected as the tournament MVP at the IU Credit Union Classic.\nLast weekend, Archibald picked right up where she left off, as she was named to the All-Tournament team at the Hurricane Invitational, where the Hoosiers went 2-1, losing to Miami in the championship match. In the season opener versus Kent State, Archibald pounded a match-high 20 kills, and a day later she repeated the feat as she recorded another match-high 17 kills. \nArchibald's prospective health means a great deal to the team as she is one of the most explosive performers not only on the Hoosiers' squad but in the Big Ten.\n"Christina being healthy means everything to the team," senior Melissa Brewer said. "She's going to be so impressive, I can't wait for people to see what she does. She is the muscle of this team, she's the most powerful player we have."\nArchibald is not limited to the volleyball court as she participated on the IU track and field team during the spring of 2002 and finished in a fourth-place tie in the high jump at the Big Ten Championships with a leap of 5 foot 7 and three-fourth inches. Last year she did not participate in track during this spring as she was rehabilitating a foot injury.\nIf Archibald can stay healthy throughout the volleyball season, a return to track and field competition is all but assured. Coach Katie Weismiller said having Archibald on the court is very important to the Hoosiers' chances of making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.\n"She obviously is a huge offensive threat," Weismiller said. "She is definitely someone we are going to try to keep healthy and keep her on the court."\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Glenesk at mglenesk@indiana.edu.