Friday morning against Northern Kentucky University, Indiana volleyball played in front of a quiet Wilkinson Hall. While some Hoosier fans were tailgating in the parking lot, a 10 a.m. start time meant Indiana would have to play on its home court without one of its strongest assets at home: the Hoosier faithful.
At points during the match, the only noises heard were the faint sounds of broadcast announcers talking about the contest.
The Hoosiers were able to pull out a 3-0 victory over the Norse. They created their own energy, in large part because of senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles, who scored 19.5 points en route to Indiana’s sweep of Northern Kentucky.
The energy inside Wilkinson Hall flipped just a few hours later. Indiana fans filed through the doors and the student section filled with students dressed in costumes and, by the second set, waving balloons.
Indiana was able to embody the energy from the crowd in its second set of the day against Western Michigan University, winning 3-0 to sweep each match of the Indiana Invitational.
“I think the Thursday night match is tough for people to be at, but tonight, we had a great crowd,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said after the match. “It bothers me a bit because I don’t want it to be external, but it’s also the reason why I'm so proud of what we’re building.”
Aird’s squad was feeding off the crowd's energy, but the Hoosier fans were also energized by the electrifying play from their team.
Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum was the Hoosiers’ leading scorer against the Broncos. She recorded 15 kills and two blocks to generate 17 points for Indiana.
After the Hoosiers’ match against Southeast Missouri State University on Thursday, Aird said the experience and veteran leadership Tatum — and the other seniors — bring to Indiana is invaluable, and it showed Friday night. Tatum also scored 12 points — off 10 kills and two blocks — against Northern Kentucky Friday morning.
Tatum said the goal of the match against Western Michigan was to play clean, tight volleyball against a good opponent. And while freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray agreed with Tatum’s sentiments, she also alluded to the energy at Wilkinson Hall.
“I feel like that game, you could really tell that we were all in it together, just having so much fun,” Gray said. “We were in the moment at the time.”
Indiana recorded a total of 11 service aces against Western Michigan — four of which came from freshman defensive specialist Avery Freeman and three from freshman setter Teodora Kričković — and each one sparked something in the crowds.
Aird acknowledged the aces and offense in general played well, but it’s what he expects from his team playing in their home gym in front of their home crowd. He knows that for most of Indiana’s matches, they won’t have the energy from Hoosier fans.
“Someone will rip our arms off soon,” Aird said. “And we’ll have to recover and come back. Miami was the type of match we’re going to see in the conference.”
Against the University of Miami on Aug. 29 in Coral Gables, Florida, the Hoosiers successfully completed a reverse sweep in their first match of the year. After giving up the first two sets to the Hurricanes, Indiana showcased its ability to claw back in a road environment.
“Defense travels,” Aird said. “Offense, if you’ve got really good players, travels.”
Indiana will not return to its home gym until Sept. 27 when it takes on Washington in its second conference match of the season. In the meantime, the Hoosiers will have to generate the home-crowd energy on their own and find ways to adapt to a loud road environment.
The Hoosiers will test whether they can bring that energy with them Sept. 11 at Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago when Indiana takes on Bowling Green University in the first match of the Rambler Invitational.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
