With just two matches left in the season, No. 15 Indiana volleyball entered its contest against Illinois looking to strengthen its resume before the NCAA Tournament selection show Sunday.
Ahead of the match, the Hoosiers were projected to be a No. 4 seed in Charlie Creme’s most recent Women’s College Volleyball Bracketology. The No. 4 seed would give Indiana a home match in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
With Selection Sunday on the horizon, the Hoosiers dominated the Fighting Illini 3-0 on Wednesday at Huff Hall in Champaign, Illinois. It was Indiana’s 23rd win of the season, tying the 2010 season for the most in program history in the NCAA era. The sweep of Illinois also marked the Hoosiers’ first win at Huff Hall since October 2007.
Indiana’s attackers were relentless all night, just as they have been all season. Senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum led the way for Indiana with 13 kills off a .417 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles and freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager recorded 12 and seven kills, respectively. Jager also scored points off two service aces and a block assist. Defensively, she led Indiana with 12 digs.
The Hoosiers struggled in the opening moments on the first set. Illinois started with a 3-1 lead over Indiana, and the set stayed tight until the Hoosiers went on a 6-1 run. The run started with a service error from Fighting Illini freshman libero Taryn Kirsch which tied the set at 10, before Indiana pulled ahead of Illinois 15-11.
After taking the four-point lead, Indiana cruised to a 25-18 first-set victory led by Tatum, who recorded five kills in the set.
Indiana was once again dominant in the second set, pulling off a four-point win. Like the first set, the second was back and forth between the Hoosiers and the Fighting Illini to start.
A kill from Illinois redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Auburn Tomkinson tied the second set at nine. However, that’s when the Hoosiers began to separate themselves. Tatum recorded a kill to put Indiana ahead by one, which sparked a 6-1 run for the Hoosiers to pull ahead by five points.
The Fighting Illini pulled within two points of the Hoosiers with a kill from senior pin hitter Averie Hernandez that put the score at 21-19. It forced eighth-year Indiana head coach Steve Aird to call a timeout, and the Hoosiers responded by closing out the second set 25-21.
Looking to pull off its 14th sweep of the season, Indiana got off to an early 4-1 lead in the third set. But the lead didn’t last long, as Illinois went on a 5-0 run to take a two-point advantage.
The Fighting Illini eventually grew its lead to four points before a 4-0 Indiana run — off three errors from Illinois and a kill from the Hoosiers — tied the set at 13.
The set remained close until a kill from freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray started a 5-0 Indiana run, which led Illinois to call a timeout.
Out of the break, Illinois scored a point off a kill from Hernandez, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Hoosiers. Indiana went on a 3-1 run run capped off by a kill from freshman setter Teodora Kričković, which gave Indiana a 25-18 win in the third set and match victory.
Indiana now looks to No. 11 Purdue for its final contest of the regular season and a final opportunity to make its case to the NCAA selection committee. The match between the Hoosiers and the Boilermakers is set for 3 p.m. Saturday in West Lafayette 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.
