After defeating then-No. 17 USC on Oct. 3 and then-No.24 UCLA on Oct. 4 , Indiana volleyball broke through the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25 themselves, something the Indiana program had not accomplished since 2010.
The Hoosiers earned the No. 20 spot in the rankings, marking the highest ranking in program history. Now off to their best start in the Big Ten since 1985, the Hoosiers will look to continue their momentum in Michigan for a pair of weekend games.
Indiana will first face off against Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday at the Cliff Kleen Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines come into the matchup 1-3 in the conference and 11-4 overall. While Michigan has only been able to come away with one Big Ten win this season, its record is not a true reflection of the team’s success.
Michigan has faced a tough schedule thus far, with two of its four losses coming against No. 1 Nebraska and No.7 Wisconsin. Despite the sweep losses, the Wolverines showed they could compete with top teams with a notable win over then-No.10 Minnesota on Oct. 1 in four sets.
Michigan is an experienced team, returning five starters and 13 players overall from last season. Graduate student outside hitter Allison Jacobs led the Wolverine offense last season and has continued to do so this season. Jacobs leads the team in numerous statistical categories, including total kills and kills per set.
After facing a tested opponent in Michigan, Indiana will have a day to rest and recover before its 1 p.m. matchup with Michigan State Sunday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.
Michigan State has had a strong start to its season as well. The Spartans boast an overall record of 12-2, with both losses coming from within conference play, but have yet to prove they can play with top-ranked teams. Michigan State has only faced one AVCA top 25 team this season, which resulted in a three-set loss to then-No. 12 Minnesota on Sept. 25.
The Spartans are ninth in the conference in hitting percentage, with an average of .261. In comparison, Indiana sits in third place with a .311 average hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska and senior opposite hitter Evie Doezema lead the Spartans offense with 151 and 133 kills, respectively.
Indiana is tied with USC for first place in the Big Ten in blocks per set with 2.84.
On the defensive side, sophomore middle blocker Ella Boersema leads the Indiana blocking efforts, averaging 1.5 blocks per set and 51 total on the season.
However, the Hoosiers’ scoring is well balanced, as nine different Hoosiers attacking percentage is over .200. Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles leads the Hoosiers in kills, tallying 176. Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum isn't far behind with 173 kills.
Indiana’s new ranking may serve as a target to other teams, so the Hoosiers will have to continue to play at a high level to continue picking up wins in the strong conference, which contains seven ranked teams.
Indiana will look to keep its perfect record in Big Ten play against the Michigan teams. Both matchups will be streamed 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.
