IU volleyball players compare themselves to different “Star Wars” characters and animals.
“A lot of us have animals or people in movies that we remind each other of,” sophomore setter Megan Tallman said. “Like spirit animals.”
For example, Allison Hammond is a camel.
Kyndall Merritt is an Ewok from “Star Wars.”
Courtney Harnish is Yoda, also from “Star Wars.”
This weekend, the Hoosiers (12-4, 3-1) went 2-0 in their east coast Big Ten swing. They defeated Maryland on Friday and Rutgers on Sunday.
Last season, IU went just 1-19 in the Big Ten. Through just four conference games, IU has already tripled its conference win total from a year ago.
IU played seven sets this weekend and lost only one of them.
The one it lost was a 33-31 marathon third set against Maryland. IU came back to take the fourth set against the Terrapins and win the match Friday.
When the Hoosiers won their sets, they weren’t just skating by, either.
In the six sets IU won this weekend, it beat its opponent by an average of eight points per set, a large difference for Big Ten play.
The dominating play by IU culminated in the last set of the weekend against Rutgers when IU smashed the Scarlet Knights 25-10 in the third and final set.
If someone would have told Tallman before the season that IU would open up the conference season 3-1, she said she would not have been surprised.
“I think Indiana volleyball is back,” Tallman said. “We’re a team that teams better watch out for, because we’re gonna come and take matches, and they won’t expect it.”
After the Maryland game Friday, the team came up with a spirit animal for each player.
One of the most popular comparisons was Tallman, the team’s setter. She was compared to Jar Jar Binks from “Star Wars.”
A side-by-side photo of Tallman and Jar Jar Binks was posted to the team’s Twitter account with a caption that said, “Look at this comparison! #seperatedatbirth.”
Tallman will get light-hearted revenge on her teammates, she said.
“I take the most horrible pictures,” she said. “And Allison put my face next to Jar Jar Binks.
“It’s all fun and games, but I’ll get them back sooner or later.”
The 3-1 start in the Big Ten is IU’s best start in 16 years.
The last time the Hoosiers went 3-1 to open the Big Ten, most of the team members were between 3 and 7 years old.
Tallman credits the team’s chemistry for their success.
Whether it’s goofing off and comparing teammates to movie characters or their communication on the court, the player-to-player connections are going well for the Hoosiers right now.
The team is bonding through non-volleyball activities, too.
IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said the team took Saturday to tour the Sept. 11 memorial and visit the Statue of Liberty.
Back when they went to Connecticut to play UConn, the team toured the ESPN studios.
“They don’t want to go to New York City and go shopping,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “I really like this group.”
Dunbar-Kruzan also spoke of her team and how they can go from goofy one minute to competitive the next.
That’s what they did this weekend en route to a 2-0 performance.
“They know how to turn on the switch when it’s time to turn it on,” Dunbar-Kruzan said.
