Column: IU volleyball keeps the wins coming

At times it wasn’t pretty, but somehow the IU volleyball team went undefeated in three games this weekend, winning the Hoosier Classic tournament to improve to 8-1 on the year.

Throughout the entire weekend, the team kept doing what it needed to do to win.
That’s what makes this team great.

Even when it looks like it may be down, it still pulls through and finds a way to get the victory.

That’s why this team will continue to find success this season.

The first challenge of the weekend came Friday night when the Hoosiers went head-to-head with the University of Wyoming. Oftentimes in sports it is said the game is not as one-sided as the score sometimes indicates.

That seemed to be the case Friday as the Hoosiers seemed to be a step behind — and that translated to the scoreboard — as the Hoosiers spent a good portion of the evening fighting from behind.

Let’s be clear, it was not for lack of effort. The Cowgirls were just all over the place. They were fast. Very fast.

Good thing the crowd was into the game because it seemed at times like the Hoosiers bit off more than they could chew.

It was one of those games where fans look up at the score, then look a few moments later, and their team is down by four or five scores. Good thing some Hoosiers didn’t like that idea very much.

The Hoosiers, led by sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson, who set a career mark with 21 kills on the evening, battled all night and eventually put the Cowgirls away 3-1.

The Hoosiers’ next challenge came a day later as they faced Tennessee State University, who spent Friday evening scouting both the Hoosiers and Cowgirls, who they would play on Saturday.

Someone must have delivered a killer motivational pregame speech before the Hoosiers’ match against Tennessee State Saturday because the Hoosiers were not in a playful mood as the offense came out on fire. The defense wasn’t too shabby either, defeating the Tigers 3-1.

With the win, the Hoosiers moved on to the championship round of the Hoosier Classic, facing off against the University of Alabama at Birmingham team that entered the final round of the Hoosier Classic with a record of 9-2 after disposing of Tennessee State and Wyoming earlier in the weekend.

The championship round was more like a scrimmage for the Hoosiers. The outcome was never really in question during the contest as the Hoosiers swept the Blazers 3-0 to claim the classic championship.

With the win, the Hoosiers remain unbeaten at home this season, improving to a record of 6-0 at University Gym.

That match was sad to watch. Originally it made me wonder whether UAB deserved to be a Division I team, but it soon became obvious that the Hoosiers just have game.

A far cry from the back and forth battle with Wyoming on Friday night, but the end result was the same as it has been throughout the season for the Hoosier volleyball team — another win.

The Hoosiers have a challenge in front of them as they first take on a scrappy Duke team Friday followed by a huge test against the No. 18 North Carolina Saturday.

I predict the Hoosiers will make short work of the Blue Devils, 3-1, but will ultimately fall to the No. 18 Tar Heels after a lackluster effort for their second loss of the season.

­— pdolly@indiana.edu

Follow columnist Pat Dolly on Twitter @MinReport_IDS.