Indiana volleyball has been dominant offensively all season. Ahead of their contest against Purdue on Saturday, the Hoosiers were tied for third in the conference in hitting percentage with a clip of .288. They had three pin hitters who averaged at least 3.22 kills per set.
However, Purdue was ready for the challenge Indiana’s offensive front presented. The Boilermakers recorded 15 blocks and held the Hoosiers to a .106 hitting percentage Saturday afternoon at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Indiana fell 3-1 to Purdue and finished its regular season with a 23-7 overall record and a 14-6 conference mark.
The Boilermakers’ defense was suffocating from the start. Back-to-back blocks from Purdue gave it an 8-3 lead in the first set and forced an Indiana timeout. While the Hoosiers put together a 3-0 run out of the timeout, the Boilermakers continued to be aggressive, recording four blocks in the set, leading them to a dominant 25-17 first-set victory.
Purdue recorded just four blocks combined in the second and third sets, leading Indiana to steal the third set. However, the Purdue defense once again reigned dominant in the fourth. The Boilermakers tallied seven blocks — just two fewer than the Hoosiers’ nine blocks in the match — in the final set to seal the win.
The defensive efforts from Purdue were spearheaded by junior middle blocker Dior Charles. The 6-foot-1 Charles recorded 11 blocks in the match, two of which were solo blocks. She was followed by junior setter Taylor Anderson and redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Grace Heaney, who had six and five kills, respectively.
Indiana was held to just a .106 hitting percentage in the match. Purdue stifled senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles' offensive attempts. Alonso-Corcelles, who has averaged 3.58 kills per set this season, had just three kills in the match with a - .190 hitting percentage.
Alonso-Corcelles' performance led to the Indiana coaching staff pulling her from the contest early in the second set. Graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith subbed in for Alonso-Corcelles after a reception error. Alonso-Corcelles did not return to the floor until the beginning of the third set.
Smith, who has typically served the Hoosiers in the back row and service line, recorded nine kills and two blocks playing a different role for Indiana.
But the offensive struggles didn’t stop with the Hoosiers’ pin hitters. Freshman setter Teodora Kričković wasn’t efficient in spreading the ball to the attackers. It prompted Indiana to have Kričković split time with sophomore setter Sade Ilawole, who’s seen time in just six of the Hoosiers’ matches.
However, it wasn’t just Purdue’s blocking efforts that impacted the game, but its diving attempts to save points proved to be important, too.
The Boilermaker’s 51 digs provided them with second chances, which the offense, especially junior outside hitter Kenna Wollard, took advantage of. Wollard — who was the main source of offense for Purdue in its win over Indiana on Oct. 16 with 18 kills — recorded a match-high 15 kills Saturday. Despite an overall inefficient performance from Purdue’s offense, Wollard supplemented her team’s dominant defense.
With the loss, Indiana's postseason fate is now out of its hands and up to the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
While the Hoosiers are nearly a lock to make the tournament for the first time since 2010, a win over Purdue would have strengthened their chances of receiving the coveted home match in the first round of the tournament.
Indiana will have to wait until 6 p.m. Sunday to know what lies ahead in the postseason, whether that’s staying in Bloomington for a match in Wilkinson Hall or a contest against a higher-seeded team away from home.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
