After losing three of its last five contests, Indiana volleyball looked to start strong in its first game of the weekend against Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
While the Hoosiers may not have opened the game strong, the Indiana offense quickly rebounded and guided the Cream and Crimson to a three-set victory over the Terrapins.
Throughout the season, Indiana has heavily relied on the team's offensive outputs. When the Hoosiers offense is consistent, winning has been consistent.
Before the game Friday, Indiana was 14-2 when hitting over .250. The Hoosiers continued that trend against the Terrapins, as the Cream and Crimson hit .344 and tallied another win.
Candela Alonso-Corcelles led the offensive efforts Friday night, as the senior outside hitter tallied 17 kills and an attacking percentage of .419. The performance from Alonso-Corcelles was the 31st time in her career that she’s had at least 15 kills in a match and puts her just 42 kills away from moving into the top 10 in program history.
Despite Alonso-Corcelles leading the team, Indiana had an overall balanced offensive night, as multiple Hoosiers contributed to the offense.
Freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager made an impact offensively, as she added 10 kills and hit .318. From the middle blocking position, freshman Victoria Gray tallied nine kills and held a .571 attacking percentage.
While the hitters on the team often get the attention, the offense could not have been so efficient without the help from freshman setter Teodora Kričković. Kričković tallied 33 assists on the night and added one kill of her own.
In addition to attacking efficiently, Indiana served at a high level. From the service line, the Hoosiers tallied 10 aces — six of which came from graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith. Smith became the seventh player in program history to record six aces in a single match.
Indiana will need to carry this momentum and offensive ability into its match with Penn State on Sunday. The Nittany Lions are the defending national champions and have proven their ability to win at a high level this season with four top 20 victories on the year.
Indiana is tied with Penn State in the conference standings and would have the chance to pick up another signature win.
But to do that, the Hoosiers must display their offensive efficiency once again.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
