Volleyball: Hoosiers stumble against Wisconsin, Northwestern

Road trips continued to treat the IU women's volleyball team harshly this weekend, as the team came away winless against both Northwestern and Wisconsin. The Hoosiers cited failed passing attempts, weak serves and a breakdown in communication for their two losses.\n"We just didn't play together against either (squad)," senior Rachel Gerling said. "When we lose the first set, we get down on ourselves. That's what we did last night (against Wisconsin)."\nThe Badgers took down the Hoosiers 3-0 (30-14, 30-25, 30-12) in the first match Friday. The red and white took down the cream and crimson offense, overpowering the Hoosiers' killing percentage of .081 with a .413 percentage of their own. Gerling came out firing for IU with 10 individual kills, followed by freshman Erica Short, who added seven. \nServing was one spot where the Hoosiers outdid the Badgers. Freshman Laura Holm, senior Mandy Eberle and sophomore Lauren Ditteon put up an ace each. Junior Sara Diehl was a defensive force for the Hoosiers Friday, adding nine digs for IU. Just below her were freshman Hana Ros and Holm, contributing six saves each.\nAlthough the Hoosiers hung tough in the second game, grabbing a 23-22 lead, blocking was what separated the two teams and gave Wisconsin an edge. The Badgers nabbed 18 assists to IU's eight. Eberle, whom the coaches usually refer to as the team's most solid blocker, had little impact.\n"We knew Wisconsin was going to be tough to beat," IU head coach Katie Weismiller said. "They could be a Final Four team. We just couldn't finish against them."\nAfter Friday night's loss, Weismiller and her team headed to Evanston, Ill. to face off against Northwestern. Unable to recover from the previous night, IU fell to 8-12 overall, and 1-7 in the Big Ten, after losing 3-1 to the Wildcats Saturday. Despite the loss, Weismiller said her team improved its all-around ball-handling skills. "Offensively, we were matched up very well," Weismiller said. "Our serving was good, we blocked well and we kept the ball in play. Rachel (Gerling) had her best performance in a long time."\nGerling attained 16 digs and 14 kills, bringing her percentage in the match to .520 and giving her a double figures in two categories. Short also contributed, making 17 kills and a .256 kill percentage at the net. \n"We didn't take the opportunity for granted," Gerling said. "We learned from it, we got up and we're growing stronger."\nThe Hoosiers will look to use their home court advantage this weekend as they welcome Big Ten foe Purdue to Bloomington at 7 p.m. Friday, before facing Illinois at 7 p.m. Saturday.