No. 17 Indiana volleyball is set for its biggest match of the season thus far against No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday at Wilkinson Hall.
The Hoosiers are in the midst of one of the program’s most historic seasons, already surpassing 20 wins this season for just the seventh time in Indiana history. Indiana has three wins over ranked opponents, each of which were on the road against Big Ten teams. And with just four matches left in the regular season, the Hoosiers have potential for an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2010.
But before the Hoosiers take on the Cornhuskers in front of a sold-out Wilkinson Hall, Indiana has a match against Rutgers, which sits at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.
The Scarlet Knights hold an overall record of 11-17, but they’re 2-14 against Big Ten opponents. Their two wins came against Maryland on Oct. 3 and Ohio State on Oct. 31. Indiana has already swept Maryland twice this season and defeated Ohio State 3-1.
Indiana will have to keep an eye out for sophomore outside hitter Aspen Maxwell, who is the main source of offensive production for the Scalet Knights. The 6-foot-4 Maxwell averages 4.13 points per contest this season. Her 3.46 kills per set ranks 15th in the conference.
The area where Rutgers has succeeded most this season is from the service line, as it leads the conference in service aces per set with 1.8. Indiana struggled against service pressure in its match against then-No. 20 Minnesota on Oct. 24. The Hoosiers fell to the Golden Gophers 3-1, with both teams recording 10 aces.
The Scarlet Knights have allowed the third highest opponent hitting percentage in the Big Ten this season, while the Hoosiers have the fourth best hitting percentage in the conference. The difference gives Indiana the opportunity to dominate on the offensive side.
The Hoosiers have a hitting percentage of .289 this season, only behind Nebraska, No. 10 Wisconsin and No. 11 Purdue. Against Maryland on Nov. 16, Indiana recorded a hitting percentage of .456, which marked the highest in a Big Ten match since 1991.
Then, Indiana will take on Nebraska on Saturday, which will also mark its Senior Night, where the Hoosiers will honor senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles, senior middle blocker Madi Sell, senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum and graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith.
The Cornhuskers are a perfect 26-0 this season with wins over nine ranked opponents. They’ve swept all but five of their opponents, including every Big Ten opponent except for UCLA, which took Nebraska to four sets on Nov. 14. The Cornhuskers will have a contest against Iowa on Thursday ahead of Saturdays match.
Nebraska leads the Big Ten in many major statistical categories this season, including kills per set, hitting percentage and blocks per set. Its efforts on the offensive end are spearheaded by Harper Murray. The 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter averages 3.56 kills per set with an attacking percentage of .302. Five other Cornhuskers average more than two kills per set and are hitting at or above .267.
Defensively, senior middle blocker Rebekah Allick leads Nebraska, who averages 1.31 blocks per set this season. Junior middle blocker Andi Jackson is close behind with 1.11 blocks per set.
Indiana won the first match played between the two programs in 1978 but is since on a 24-match losing streak to Nebraska. Taking down the Cornhuskers will be a tall task for the Hoosiers, but it will be another opportunity for Indiana to add to its resume ahead of post season play.
The Hoosiers’ contest against Rutgers — which is not sold out — is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, while the match against Nebraska is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday. Both will take place inside 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.
