The Hoosiers’ key to victory in its four-game slate in California this weekend lies in its roster depth.
IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said she believes the team’s freshmen will thrive during the San Francisco Invitational and will gain much-needed game experience.
“As you go through and play four matches in that short a period of time, we are going to need help as we go through,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We are not going to live and die on six or seven players. It is a great opportunity for some people to really put a stamp on helping us win this weekend.”
As the Hoosiers look for their second straight undefeated weekend, they simultaneously chase an even bigger milestone.
Last season, IU won seven consecutive matches for just the third time in the past 14 seasons. After this year’s 3-0 start with four matches between Friday and Saturday, the team has an opportunity to do the same.
“I’m 100 percent positive and confident that we are going to do it,” senior defensive specialist and libero Taylor Lebo said. “The work that we have put in here, the confidence that even our youngsters have that will be playing on the court this weekend and even us seniors and the coaches are super confident.”
Dunbar-Kruzan echoed this sentiment and said she believes her team is in the right place and has the correct mindset.
In Saturday’s victory against Marshall, Lebo became just the 17th Hoosier in history to eclipse 100 service aces and later in the match moved into 14th place in IU history in the category. Her performance also propelled IU to the top of the Big Ten in service aces.
The co-captain said she intends to accumulate three or four aces per match this weekend and eventually reach at least 50 aces for the season for the second time in her collegiate career. Lebo said she attributes a comment made by a former coach as her motivation for her serving success and believes her personal and team efforts will lead the Hoosiers to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this season.
“My coach in club told me that I would never jump-serve in the Big Ten, and my sophomore year here I broke 50-plus service aces,” Lebo said. “He later came up to me and told me that my serve looks pretty good. I asked him if he remembered telling me that I would never serve in the Big Ten, which is the best conference in the nation so I’m going against the best passers, and he just kind of laughed.”
IU will face Campbell, 1-2; Princeton, 0-0; Columbia, 0-0; and tournament-host San Francisco, 2-1. Dunbar-Kruzan got her coaching start as an assistant at San Francisco from 1993 to 1996 and received her master’s degree from the university.
“It's going to be totally different,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “There are obviously a lot of new people there — a brand new coaching staff and just not a lot of people that were there when I was there. But it’s still the name. It’s a really nice school. I’m really excited for our kids to see it and get the flavor of what San Francisco is all about.”
The team was able to get in some sightseeing Thursday before playing two doubleheaders Friday and Saturday. Dunbar-Kruzan said she looks forward to showing her players her old city and will take them to Pier 39 and Alcatraz on their brief fun day.
