Nearly 42% of Indiana volleyball’s roster is made up of freshmen. Like other teams in the Big Ten — including the Hoosiers’ opponent Saturday night in UCLA — Indiana is a team made up of young players.
Against the Bruins, the Hoosiers started five freshmen: setter Teodora Kričković, outside hitter Jaidyn Jager, middle blocker Victoria Gray and defensive specialists Audrey Jackson and Avery Freeman — who served as liberos Saturday.
So when the Hoosiers found themselves trailing after the first set against UCLA on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial in Los Angeles, they had to rely on someone who had been in the position before.
Indiana struggled to find its offensive rhythm early, and it needed players to bring momentum to the Hoosiers side. Only three Hoosiers were able to record a kill in the first set — Jager, senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles.
The latter two Hoosiers became a spark for Indiana like they have so many times before.
Indiana started the next two sets strong and took early leads in both. But in the fourth set, Indiana found itself in an early hole, as UCLA held a 9-2 advantage. A kill from Alonso-Corcelles set Indiana on a 4-0 run to cut into the Bruins’ lead.
An 8-0 run later in the set gave Indiana its first lead of the set. Alonso-Corcelles and Tatum played a part in 6 of those 8 points. Once the Hoosiers had the lead, they did not give it back.
Alonso-Corcelles and Tatum led Indiana with 18 and 17 kills, respectively, against UCLA. They each were a few behind senior outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette, who collected 21 kills and carried the Bruin offense after the first set Saturday night.
The duo also carried hitting percentages above .300, with Tatum boasting a .375 hitting percentage. They were also Indiana’s leading point scorers, with Alonso-Corcelles notching 21.5 points and Tatum getting 19 points.
After dropping the first set of the match, their performances led Indiana to win the next three sets and take its fourth straight conference win of the season — second against a ranked opponent — to push its overall record to 13-1. The 4-0 record in Big Ten play is the Hoosiers’ best since 1985.
The win over No. 24 UCLA was also the Hoosiers’ ninth ranked win away from Bloomington in program history — the eighth came against No. 17 USC on Friday.
Alonso-Corcelles and Tatum have been crucial pieces for Indiana so far this season. The pair has collected nearly 52% of Indiana’s kill so far this season. Alonso-Corcelles' 176 kills ranks 11th in the Big Ten, while Tatum’s 173 is the 14th most in the conference.
And with Indiana’s leaders being a duo, when one is having an off game, the other can pick up some of the lost production.
Against Washington on Sept. 27, Tatum recorded a hitting percentage of 0.00 throughout the contest, with seven kills and seven errors. Alonso-Corcelles was able to generate some of the energy Indiana needed and recorded 10 kills against the Huskies.
The Hoosiers aren’t set to face another currently ranked opponent until they take on No. 13 Purdue on Oct. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the Monon Spike Match.
The pair of Alonso-Corcelles and Tatum will need to play a key role once again for Indiana not only to come away with another ranked win over the Boilermakers, but in the Hoosiers’ two matches before then against Michigan on Oct. 10 and Michigan State on Oct. 12.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
