In a critical third set that could put Indiana volleyball up two sets to one, the Hoosiers found themselves losing momentum as the Hawkeyes struck three straight kills to take a 10-8 lead.
With the set slowly slipping out of Indiana’s control, the Hoosiers needed to respond. They needed a point to stop the run and kill the Hawkeyes momentum.
That point came from none other than Candela Alonso-Corcelles. The senior outside hitter responded with a service ace and kill in back-to-back plays to tie the set at 10 points and flip the momentum back to the Hoosiers.
While this is just one example of Alonso-Corcelles tallying a point when the Hoosiers needed, the Madrid, Spain, native continued to do so all night long in the Hoosiers five set victory over Iowa on Friday night at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington.
“In all of my biggest matches of my career that I won, final four matches, national championships matches, it’s the upperclassmen, it’s the seniors,” head coach Steve Aird said postgame. “And you need them to step up and be great when great is required. And I thought Candela was that.”
Alonso-Corcelles recorded her fourth double-double of the year with a season-high 24 kills and 11 digs. The senior finished the night hitting .288 and was one kill away from matching her career high of 25. In the fifth set alone, Alonso-Corcelles picked up six kills, leading the Hoosiers to victory.
While Alonso-Corcelles powered Indiana to victory, the other Hoosiers on the roster helped lead Indiana past the finish line as well. As a team, Indiana finished the night with 64 kills and a hitting percentage of .231 as four different Hoosiers hit .200 or above.
The other two pin hitters in freshman Jaidyn Jager and senior Avry Tatum added 14 and 11 kills, respectively.
The two middle hitters got in on the action as well for Indiana, as freshman Victoria Gray and senior Madi Sell contributed seven and six kills, respectively.
While the Hoosiers were able to come away with a win, it did not come easy. Big Ten matchups have proven to be unpredictable and will likely continue to be a battle as Indiana approaches the end of the regular season.
The win marks the 19th-straight victory over an unranked team on the home court in Bloomington. Indiana is now 28-8 at Wilkinson Hall since the beginning of 2023.
After coming away from Pennsylvania with a sweep win over the then-No. 19 Nittany Lions, Indiana reached No. 18 in the AVCA rankings this week — marking the Hoosiers highest rank in program history.
With the high ranking and high-profile win, added pressure has been placed on the Hoosiers. However, this battle-tested Indiana welcomes the pressure.
“We always talk about how pressure is a privilege,” graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith said postgame. “We know that this is where we want to be, so we’re just taking on that pressure and using it as motivation.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
