Indiana volleyball had a successful weekend in the Great Lakes State, defeating both of its Big Ten opponents. Indiana topped No. 25 Michigan 3-1 and completed a season sweep of Michigan State in a 3-2 victory.
The first play of the first match saw an attack error from Michigan, granting Indiana the first point of the weekend. The Hoosiers extended the lead to 5-1 with back-to-back kills from junior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede and sophomore outside hitter Mady Saris.
With a service ace from sophomore setter Camryn Haworth and another Michigan attack error, Indiana held the lead at 14-8, forcing the Wolverines to take a timeout and regroup.
[Related: Indiana volleyball responds with 3-2 win over Michigan State after losing to No. 9 Purdue 2-3]
Michigan broke out of the huddle and squirmed its way back into the game with an unstoppable 8-0 run, taking the first set 25-21. However, Indiana responded late in the second set with back-to-back kills from freshman outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles and Saris, grabbing a 23-20 lead. The Hoosiers hung on to win the set 25-22.
The Hoosiers fell behind early in the third set, but with the highlight of two service aces by junior outside hitter Morgan Geddes, Indiana went on a 6-1 run. Indiana stayed on top the rest of the match, but Michigan found a surge of life with a 3-0 run. Even so, the Wolverines couldn’t find a sufficient answer, and the Hoosiers took the third frame 25-19.
In the last moments of the fourth set, Geddes delivered two kills contributing to a Hoosier 4-0 run to regain a late 23-22 lead. Indiana scored the two final points of the match and secured its first ranked win of the season in a 3-1 victory.
After the thrilling win, Indiana got back on the road two days later to face Michigan State. The Hoosiers had already beaten the Spartans on Oct. 16 and looked to complete the season sweep.
Michigan State and Indiana split the first two sets and both entered the third looking for an advantage. Michigan State led by one point late in the third set but went on a 4-1 run to increase the score 21-16. The Spartans eventually won the third set 25-20.
Indiana was dominant in the fourth set and led the way early 10-5. The Hoosiers stayed on top in the fourth set and — with three straight kills from Saris — Indiana extended the lead to19-9. Indiana scored the last four points of the fourth set, including the decisive kill from Kojolhede.
With the score tied at 13 apiece in the fifth set, Indiana head coach Steve Aird called his final timeout. The Hoosiers left the huddle and scored the two necessary points to win the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.
Indiana is now 5-5 in the Big Ten and holds the seventh place in the conference. Indiana will return home to play against Rutgers at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in Wilkinson Hall. The match will be streamed on BTN+.
