Indiana went on a two-stop road trip this weekend as they played in State College, Pennsylvania and College Park, Maryland. The Hoosiers faced a tough loss against Penn State but were able to bounce back and beat Maryland before heading home.
The Hoosiers’ first challenge of the weekend was against the undefeated Nittany Lions, who already have won this season against No. 11 Stanford University and No. 18 University of Oregon.
Despite being underdogs, Indiana kept pace with Penn State early on as a kill from sophomore outside hitter Maddy Saris cut the Nittany Lions’ lead to 6-5 in the first set. Indiana stayed focused and delivered a kill off freshman right side Melisa Ilter to end Penn State’s run later in the set and cut the lead to 21-15. Nonetheless, Penn State claimed the first set with a 25-17 win.
Early in the second set, freshman outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles provided a spark for the Hoosiers with a kill that put them on top 5-2. Penn State did regain the lead, but a kill by Saris ended the run and kept the Hoosiers within four points, 21-17 in the second set.
Despite keeping the second set competitive throughout, the Hoosiers lost the set 25-21 — needing to win the third set to stay alive.
[Related: Indiana volleyball finishes 2-1 in the Western Kentucky Invitational over the weekend]
Saris and junior outside hitter Morgan Geddes guided the way for Indiana to obtain a 20-18 lead late in the third. However, the unbeaten Nittany Lions were able to close out the third set 25-23 and win the match in straight sets.
Despite the loss, the weekend was not over for the Hoosiers. The team headed to College Park, Maryland seeking a win in College Park for the first time since 2014.
The Hoosiers made an early statement in Xfinity Center as they won the first two sets of the game and had the opportunity to send the Terrapins home in straight sets.
However, Maryland found its fighting spirit and only trailed by a point late in the third set, 21-20. Indiana responded by stretching its lead to 24-23 — a point away from victory — but Maryland was able to survive and win the third set 26-24.
The Terps continued their momentum and claimed the fourth set with a 25-19 win. Indiana and Maryland were tied 2-2 with one final set to play.
Alonso-Corcelles dispatched a kill late in the fifth set to give Indiana the 9-8 lead, forcing Maryland to take a timeout. With the aid of Maryland’s attack error, Indiana won the set 17-15 and the match 3-2.
With the win, Indiana now sits at 8-6 overall as it heads back to Bloomington to take on Iowa at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Wilkison Hall. The match will be broadcast on BTN+.
