After Indiana Volleyball lost its second set 16-25 against Northwestern due to countless errors from the Hoosiers side of the court, a change had to be made. The game had eroded from the Hoosiers tight 25-22 first set victory.
At the start of the third set, Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum switched up her hair from a braided ponytail to a tight bun. It was a strategy that worked before, at the season opening reverse sweep victory over the University of Miami.
The change that needed to happen did, and Tatum’s hair strategy is now 2-0 on the season.
Indiana volleyball sailed through its nonconference schedule. The Hoosiers picked up nine wins through 10 matches and fell short just once to Western Kentucky University in three sets Sept. 19.
However, a strong start in their nonconference schedule was crucial for the Hoosiers as they would next have to face 20 straight matches against Big Ten opponents, in which six conference schools are ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association rankings and four others — including Indiana — received votes in the poll.
The Hoosiers began that tough conference stretch Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, against Northwestern.
The game was a back-and-forth battle with nine lead changes and 18 ties throughout four sets. The first set of the match set the tone for the evening with 10 ties and six lead changes.
The Hoosiers were able to come out on top in the first set 25-22. However, Northwestern took full control of the second set with a 25-16 win. Despite the momentum shift, the Hoosiers bounced back to take the next two sets and defeat the Wildcats three sets to one.
While Indiana was able to demonstrate resilience and find a way to get the win on the road at Northwestern — its first win at Welsh-Ryan Arena since 2016 — the Hoosiers tallied many uncharacteristic errors throughout the night.
Northwestern capitalized on numerous attacking, serving and communication errors from the Hoosiers’ side of the net. While attacking and service errors in volleyball can be common and show that a team is playing aggressive, miscommunication errors are not.
Indiana battled multiple miscommunication errors throughout the night. Miscommunication on the backline resulted in poor passes and six Northwestern serving aces. At times, the lack of communication on the Hoosiers’ end led to balls dropping right between players, something rarely seen from college volleyball teams.
However, despite the miscues and errors, Indiana did what any strong team was supposed to do and dug deep to find a way to win the game.
The Hoosiers tallied 60 kills throughout the night and had an overall hitting percentage of .291. Freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager led the way with 17 kills, the most of the night. Sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema was the most efficient offensively for the Hoosiers, completing the game with an overall hitting percentage of .538.
Defensively, Indiana improved as the match went on and finished with 56 digs throughout four sets of play. Three different Hoosiers had double-digit digs, with senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles leading all players with 12.
While the match remained tight with many ups and downs on both sides of the net, the Hoosiers were able to get a point from their players when they needed it most.
Looking forward, the Hoosiers will need to clean up these errors as they continue into Big Ten play. Indiana will next face off against Washington at home in Wilkinson Hall at 7 p.m. Saturday. A win would be the Hoosiers first 2-0 start in the Big Ten in 22 seasons. Streaming of the match will be available on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
