IU volleyball team loses 2 rivalry games over weekend

WEST LAFAYETTE – Postseason is still four games away, but the Hoosiers are now playing elimination games in the regular season.

Sitting at 6-10 in the Big Ten after being swept during the weekend by rivals Purdue and Illinois, IU now needs a win in every one of its remaining matches down the stretch if the team hopes to make the NCAA tournament.

Friday night featured a hard-fought 3-2 loss to No. 18 Purdue in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd – a portion of which was Hoosier fans – at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility in West Lafayette.

IU coach Sherry Dunbar said although her team lost, it competed hard.

“I am disappointed we didn’t win, but I thought we played with a lot of heart and pride,” she said.

Freshman middle blocker Lexie Woodson said she also thought the Hoosiers played strong and said the match serves as a learning experience for future games.

“I thought we came out really tough and fought hard, but we didn’t pull it out,” Woodson said. “This (match) teaches us to keep fighting and fighting since (Purdue) is a good ranked team.”

In terms of each set individually, Purdue won the first set 25-21 before the Hoosiers dominated the second, winning 25-13. With the match squared at 1-1, Purdue pulled away for a 25-19 win in the third set before IU fought back to win 25-22 in the fourth.

In the fifth and decisive set, IU trailed 14-10 before fighting back and taking two straight points. With the Hoosiers trailing 14-12, defensive specialist Caitlin Cox was serving to try to bring the Hoosiers even closer. However, before the point had a chance to play out, the match ended when Cox served the ball long and out of bounds.

Cox made no excuses for the mishap after the match, despite being a first-year player.

“Although I am a freshman, I expect myself to do well in pressure situations and not serve the ball out of bounds on match point,” she said.

On Saturday night, the Hoosiers competed against No. 17 Illinois and lost 25-19 in all three sets.

After the losses, the Hoosiers will need to win out if they hope to finish at 10-10 and make postseason play. The matchups are next weekend at home against Wisconsin and Northwestern, then at Michigan and Ohio State the following weekend.

All four games are return matches against opponents the Hoosiers have already faced this year. Against Wisconsin, IU went to Madison, Wis., and upset the then-No. 21 Badgers in four games. The Hoosiers also took care of the Wildcats and Buckeyes, who currently sit at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

That leaves the Wolverines, who, at least on paper, would appear to be the toughest remaining game, as they are currently ranked No. 19 and swept the Hoosiers in Bloomington earlier this year.

The first of the remaining matches takes place 7 p.m. Friday against the Badgers.

Those unable to be in attendance can watch the game live at www.iuhoosiers.com.