When Indiana volleyball took its first timeout in the first set, it was already facing a substantial deficit.
Just over two minutes into the contest, Maryland senior right-side hitter Ajack Malual took a powerful swing at the volleyball. While Indiana freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and senior middle blocker Madi Sell were able to get her hands on the ball at the net, it went shooting into the air behind them and out of reach of other Indiana players.
The Malual kill gave Maryland a 6-0 lead — off three kills, a block, a service ace and an Indiana error — and forced Indiana head coach Steve Aird to take his first timeout.
After the break, Indiana scored its first point of the match off an attack from senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum. Maryland responded immediately with 2 points of its own. Both teams went back and forth until a kill from senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles put the score at 9-4.
After the kill, Indiana subbed in graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith, who went to the service line. The Hoosiers also opted to put Sell and freshman defensive specialist Avery Freeman on the floor.
With Smith at the service line, Indiana swung all momentum in its favor.
The Hoosiers scored 12 unanswered points — powered by Smith and Alonso-Corcelles — to take control of a set that was seemingly out of reach within the first two minutes. The run gave Indiana a spark it used to sweep Maryland on Friday at the XFINITY Center Pavillion in College Park, Maryland. The Hoosiers never let Maryland score more than 20 points, including the third set when the Terrapins recorded just 12 points.
Smith recorded back-to-back service aces following Alonso-Corcelles' kill at the 9-4 mark. She tallied another out of a Maryland timeout which tied the game at 9, and a succeeding kill from Alonso-Corcelles gave Indiana its first lead, one it would not surrender.
The two Hoosiers had a hand in a combined 10 points during Indiana’s run.
Smith, who transferred to Indiana following a four-year career with UCLA beach volleyball, scored points off six total service errors in the match. The Laguna Niguel, California, native became just the seventh player in program history to record six service aces in a match. While Smith’s role doesn’t give her the most opportunities for scoring offensively, she recorded five digs defensively for the Hoosiers.
Alonso-Corcelles set the Hoosiers’ offensive intensity, notching 17 kills off a .419 hitting percentage with one service ace. The Madrid, Spain, native also recorded three block assists in the match.
The energy fed into Alonso-Corcelles' teammates as Indiana recorded 45 total kills and eight total blocks on the night. Two other Hoosiers scored in double figures — freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray recorded 12.5 points, and Jager had 11.5 points.
While Maryland is one of the lower-tier Big Ten teams — it has just one Big Ten victory against Rutgers on Oct. 15 — Friday’s win was a crucial step in the Hoosiers continuing their historic season to this point.
With just nine matches remaining in the regular season, Indiana has surpassed its 2024 win total and matched its 2024 conference win total with eight Big Ten wins. Aird has emphasized winning on the road in the Big Ten all season, and the win in College Park matched the program record for road wins in a single season at seven.
“A lot of the things I’m most proud of so far this year, kind of halfway through, is our ability to win on the road against really good programs,” Aird said after Indiana’s home win over Northwestern on Oct. 26. “Whether it's Miami, the California trip, or winning at Northwestern.”
And the Hoosiers have another chance to continue their success on the road Sunday, but it won’t be an easy task. Indiana takes on No. 19 Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania. With firepower in all positions from the Nittany Lions, it will be a difficult feat for Indiana to defeat Penn State in College Park for the first time.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
