Indiana volleyball prepares for home invitational

After a winless trip to Austin, Texas, last week, Indiana volleyball aims to defend its home court this weekend at the Indiana Invitational.  

This is the second year the invitational has taken place, with the Hoosiers sweeping the competition last year in three straight victories. Indiana will play three matches, starting with Chicago State University and the University of Southern Indiana on Friday, followed by Ball State University on Saturday.  

Indiana’s first match is against Chicago State, a squad that finished with a 13-9 record last year. This year, the Cougars are 2-3 so far, picking up wins against the University of Evansville and Miami University. 

One offensive player to take note of for the Cougars is sophomore outside hitter Patrycja Lagida. She leads the team in kills this season and earned a career-high 26 kills against Samford University on Sep. 7. 

The Hoosiers' second match of the invitational is against USI. The two teams met last year at the Indiana Invitational, where the Hoosiers dominated and swept the Screaming Eagles. 

While USI is 2-4, its shown so far it can hang with power four teams. The Screaming Eagles took Ohio State to four sets, with two of the sets ending with deuce. Last season, USI ended with a 13-16 record but made it to the semifinal of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. 

Senior setter Carly Sobieralski has been a key playmaker for the Screaming Eagles, already earning 186 assists and averaging 8.45 assists per set. 

The Hoosiers’ final match on Saturday comes against in-state rival Ball State, a team Indiana hasn’t faced since 2018. Last season, the Cardinals went 17-15, reaching the Mid-American Conference volleyball championship but falling to Bowling Green State University in five sets.

Ball State also received an invite to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2023, where it made it to the second round before falling to Clemson University. 

Ball State is an all-around problem for teams, with 254 kills to its opponents’ 236. The Cardinals defense also stands out, averaging 2.4 blocks per set while recording 13.1 digs per set. 

The Hoosiers face Chicago State at 12 p.m. on Friday, followed by USI at 7 p.m. Then at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Indiana plays Ball State. All matches will be available on Big Ten+.