IU splits home contests on weekend

The IU volleyball team (15-13, 6-10) snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday night at the University Gym with a sweep over Iowa (31-29, 30-28, 30-22). Before Saturday’s match, IU dropped one to Minnesota on Friday night at home 3-0 (22-30, 28-30, 28-30). \nIn game one Friday night, the Gophers’ offense came out strong with a hitting percentage of .463, which led to an eight-point win. In game two, IU was able to get within one point at 25-24, and still kept it close late, down 29-28. Minnesota then took a time out, during which they drew up a play to get the game-winning kill from Gopher standout Brooke Dieter. Dieter ended the three-game series with a game-high 23 kills. The third game was also close, with the lead never getting any larger than four points. Down 29-27, IU took the next point with an Ashley Benson kill. However, on the next possession, the Gophers took the final point to win the game 30-28. \nBenson, a freshman middle blocker, tallied eight kills while hitting .350. Two Hoosiers finished with double-digit kills – sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Hall with 13 and junior outside hitter Erica Short with 10.\nComing into Saturday’s match, Iowa had lost 11 matches in a row and had been swept in seven straight matches. Their last win came Sept. 28 against Michigan. \nIn a sloppy game one, which saw 20 lead changes and no lead of more than two points, the Hoosiers squeaked by Iowa 31-29 partly because of a strong first game by Benson, who had five kills and three block assists. In five of IU’s last six losses, they did not win the opening game of any match. IU coach Sherry Dunbar thought taking the first game would be a good momentum builder. \n“This is definitely something we talked about in pregame,” Dunbar said. “I told them we just need to find a way to get a win.” \nIn game two, the Hoosiers again edged Iowa 30-28 despite an attack percentage of .200. A key point in the game came when IU was down 25-21 and scored the next six points to push the lead to 27-25. They never looked back from there. \nGame three was a bit easier for the Hoosiers, as they held a consistent lead en route to a 30-22 win. \nGetting a rare start in Saturday’s game was senior middle blocker Annie Moddrell. Dunbar said the energy Moddrell brought in Friday’s game was what gave her the start Saturday night.\n“I did not know until right before game time that I was going to start,” Moddrell said. “I just wanted to come out and put a spark in our team.”\nAt 6-10 in the conference with four games remaining, IU still has a chance at an NCAA bid. However, Short said the team is not focusing on postseason play right now. \n“We can’t look ahead,” Short said. “It is in the back of our heads, but we know we can only get there if we take it one game at a time.”