IU earns 1st conference road win in 2 years

The IU volleyball team did something it hadn’t in 735 days Friday — win a Big Ten road match.

“We looked at each other and said, ‘You keep fighting for me,’” junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen said. “We knew we were tired, but they were more tired. We just had this mentality, whoever was on the other side of the net, we were just going to get after it.”

IU (10-12, 2-8) beat Wisconsin (15-8, 3-7) on the road Friday, besting the Badgers in four sets (19-25, 25-17, 30-28, 25-21), and picked up its second straight conference win.

When the score was knotted at one set apiece, IU found itself up 24-20 in set three, needing one point to secure the set victory.

The Badgers rallied to tie the score 24-24. After enduring three Wisconsin set points, Indiana converted on their sixth set point.

“I never had a feeling we were going to lose,” junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said. “We were eventually going to keep fighting and win. It was just weird, you know you have that feeling sometimes. I knew we were going to win that set.”

Freshman outside hitter Amelia Anderson’s two aces took the set for the Hoosiers 30-28.

“It felt awesome,” Anderson said. “Because after the first one I was like ‘Ok, standing float, I’ll take it,’ and the second one, I went back there and was just like, ‘Serve tough Amelia, serve tough,’ and I came out with two aces.”

Anderson contributed nine kills and has improved during the last two matches, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.

“We said last time she was growing up a lot after the Purdue match,” Dunbar said. “There were a lot of heated pressure situations tonight. Long rallies and big plays needed to be made ... It’s just nice to see a freshman in a big time environment.”

Anderson’s two aces at the end of set three played to the theme of the night, the IU service game.

The Hoosiers had 11 service aces, compared to the Badgers’ four.

“That was our main focus,” Dunbar said. “We served some short balls and deep balls, and they just got really rattled throughout all that.”

Hansen recorded another career high with 26 digs. She improved her previous career high, set last Tuesday against Purdue.

“She’s been doing amazing,” Haverly said. “It’s been good for us, because when she gets digs, she boosts everyone’s confidence. We know she’s back there, and it makes us work harder. I think she’s been a big part of our success.”

Hansen displayed a lack of confidence in the first potion of the conference schedule, Dunbar said. She was reinstated as the libero against Purdue and responded with back-to-back career highs in digs.

“I thought before, she would get in slumps, and it would take her out of the whole match,” Dunbar said. “I see a new confidence in her, and she’s at a level we knew she could be at.”