In a late matchup on the west coast, Indiana volleyball started its match sluggish and looking not quite awake in the first set against No. 17 USC on Friday night.
Indiana started the game hitting 0.00 and tallied just three kills to go along with three hitting errors in its 25-15 first set loss. However, the Hoosiers didn’t let that define them through the rest of the night.
After an offensively uncharacteristic first set in which only two Hoosiers had kills —senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray — the Indiana offense had a complete turnaround in the remaining three sets, allowing the Hoosiers to pick up the upset win on the road at the Galen Center in Los Angelas.
Through the next three sets, Indiana accumulated an overall hitting percentage of .252 and 47 kills. The California natives in Tatum and freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager made their presence known in their return to their home state with 14 and 12 kills, respectively.
Freshman setter Teodora Kričković made her contributions in the offense as well as she tallied 33 assists and a career high six kills.
Junior middle blocker Ava Vickers made her season debut in the contest after dealing with an injury that sidelined her for the start of the season. While her playing time was limited, Vickers added to the offense with four kills.
While the offensive turnaround from set one to the next three was a focal point on the night, the Indiana defense made an impact on the game as well.
Jager and senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles led the team in digs on the night, picking up nine and 12, respectively.
The Hoosiers finished the contest with 16 total blocks, holding the Trojans to just a .192 hitting percentage. Vickers and Gray led the blocking defensive efforts, tallying four each.
The four set victory over the ranked Trojans moved the Hoosiers to 12-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference, which marks the best start in Big Ten play since 1993 and is just the third ranked win on the road since the 2022 season.
Indiana will look to carry this momentum and grit into its next contest, which is set to start less than 24 hours later for another 10 p.m. first serve against No. 24 UCLA in Los Angeles. Indiana will look to extend its win streak and pick up back-to-back ranked conference road wins. The matchup will stream 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.
