Indiana volleyball opened home conference play Saturday night against Washington inside an energized Wilkinson Hall. Just minutes before the start of the match, Indiana football defeated Iowa to continue its perfect record, intensifying the energy and joy of the fans waiting for the start of the volleyball game.
This electric energy carried throughout the night and could be seen both through the fans and the action on the court. The game remained tight, with a difference of just seven points across three sets combined.
While the Hoosiers were able to come out on top in each set to earn a sweep victory, their performance was not up to par with the standards eight-year head coach Steve Aird and the team set for themselves.
“I didn’t think we played very well,” Aird said postgame. “Our offensive numbers weren’t good, and I didn’t think ‘T’ [Teodora Kričković] was great.”
The Hoosiers were held to an overall average hitting percentage of just .196 on the night. Senior pin hitters Avry Tatum and Candela Alonso-Corcelles finished the night with uncharacteristic hitting averages of .000 and .129, respectively.
Freshman setter Teodora Kričković ranks sixth nationally and first among freshman in assist per set with an average of 11.11. Despite critiques from her head coach, Kričković finished the night with 31 total assists. However, the lack of hitting efficiency falls on both the setter and the hitters.
While Aird wasn’t pleased with the freshman's performance in the match, he explained his high standards and tough love.
“She still may be one of the best freshman setters in the conference and one of the best freshmen in the country, but she wants to play in the Olympics, she wants to be a pro,” Aird said.
“She doesn’t want me to tell her she’s the prettiest girl in the room” Aird continued. “I’m going to tell her the truth and coach her hard.”
Despite the offensive efficiency struggles on the night, the Hoosiers were resilient and found a way to win.
Freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema stepped up big for the Hoosiers amid the struggles of upperclassmen key players in Tatum and Alonso-Corcelles.
Jager finished the night leading in total number of kills with 12 and an overall hitting percentage of .226. Boersema finished with nine kills and three blocks, and she led all Hoosiers with a .444 hitting percentage.
While the product on the court was not ideal for Aird, the Hoosiers rallied together to beat a talented conference opponent.
“Winning in the Big Ten is really hard and every team is good, and to start the year 2-0 in the Big Ten is good, and we’ll take it and get a little bit of rest tomorrow before we head up to the West Coast,” Aird said.
The Hoosiers will next face off against USC on Oct. 3 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
Indiana will need to clean up its play and make necessary changes as they continue into a tough conference schedule. While winning is good and important, this Indiana squad has eyes on something bigger.
“I just think we’re in the midst of a pretty special season, and I think we have the chance to really do some awesome stuff,” Aird said.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
