After sweeping both of its opponents over the weekend, Indiana volleyball was recognized for its dominant performances. The Hoosiers rose six places to No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Monday, while freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
Indiana defeated Maryland on Friday and the defending national champions in then-No. 19 Penn State on Sunday. The victory over the Nittany Lions marked the Hoosiers' first win over Penn State in Pennsylvania and just the second all time.
Before Monday, Indiana’s highest position was No. 20, which it reached Sept. 7 after wins over then-No. 17 USC and then-No. 24 UCLA. Since then, the Hoosiers have fallen in the rankings but have always remained in the top 25.
Following its loss to the Hoosiers, Penn State dropped to No. 25 in the AVCA poll. The Hoosiers and the Nittany Lions are among nine Big Ten teams that are ranked or received votes in the poll.
Jager recorded a total of 24 kills — 10 against Maryland and 14 against Penn State — with a hitting percentage of .360 over the two matches en route to claiming Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Defensively, Jager tallied 13 and 12 digs against the Terrapins and the Nittany Lions, respectively.
Monday marked the second time this season Jager took home Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She was last honored Sept. 8 following the Hoosiers’ sweep of the Indiana Invitational from Sept. 4-5. The Carlsbad, California, native had a total of 39 kills with a hitting percentage of .368 in the Hoosiers’ wins over Southeast Missouri State University, Northern Kentucky University and Western Michigan University.
Indiana now has two weekend matches against Iowa and No. 11 Wisconsin. The Hoosiers will play the Hawkeyes at 6 p.m. Friday and the Badgers at 2 p.m. Sunday. Both contests will be at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington and 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.
