LOUISVILLE, Ky. —As the lights lowered inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, Indiana volleyball huddled together on the court end line. The Cream and Crimson weren’t looking around at the fans sporting Cardinal red and black. Instead, they just focused on themselves, looking nowhere else but within the huddle.
Distractions were everywhere. Strobing lights flashed as the player intros began to sound loudly from the speakers for the No. 7 University of Louisville. Cardinal accolades were being listed one after another: NCAA Tournament Final Four’s appearances, Sweet 16’s, Elite Eight’s.
It was clear Louisville had been on the biggest stage in NCAA volleyball and succeeded, at that.
But for Indiana, this was new. This was a test. A season opening test.
What started as an opportunity for Indiana to prove themselves turned into a 3-0 loss and an early-season lesson.
“Going into the summer, I knew I wanted to start the year to really test us and really push us,” Indiana volleyball head coach Steve Aird said postgame Friday. “I think that what we get from it and learn from it will be incredibly valuable. It’s just like medicine. It tastes bad, but it’s good for you.”
And much of the night did leave a bad taste for the Hoosiers. Indiana was unable to generate any momentum or offensive spark throughout the night. The Cream and Crimson finished with an average attacking percentage of 0.43 throughout the match, tallying just four more kills than they did attacking errors.
Indiana managed to hang close with the Cardinals in the first set, losing by just five points.
But things began to fall out of place for the Hoosiers in the second set. Indiana was unable to limit the Cardinals’ runs and wasn’t able to generate many for itself.
Louisville strung together a 10-2 run midway through the second set, and the Hoosiers couldn’t respond. The Cardinals created another 7-1 run to end the second set, defeating the Hoosiers 25-12.
Following the second set, the home team had all of the energy and momentum. But the Hoosiers still had an opportunity to regroup and respond.
Yet to open the third set, Indiana allowed the Cardinals to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Louisville continued to apply its force for the remainder of the set, defeating the Hoosiers 25-11.
It was a game in which Aird said the opposition defeated his team in “all facets.” Louisville tallied seven service aces; Indiana tallied none. Louisville committed 11 less errors than the Hoosiers, earned 13 more kills and three more blocks.
But still, Aird remains confident in his team and sees the value in playing high competition early in the season.
“You kind of learn, you take your medicine, you get your ass kicked, but at the same time, one bad performance doesn’t mean you’re a bad team,” Aird said.
One bad performance doesn’t define the 2026 Hoosier squad. Indiana earned a preseason AVCA No. 16 ranking for a reason. The Cream and Crimson still have time to learn and grow from their season opening defeat.
“It’ll sting for a bit,” Aird said. “A bad match doesn't make you a bad team, a bad performance doesn't make you a bad person. You just got to keep chopping wood, and I think we’ll all be really excited to play the next match.”
The Hoosiers must quickly adapt and prepare as their schedule won’t become any easier. Indiana will continue its potent schedule when it faces the University of Georgia at 6 p.m. Tuesday and No. 8 Texas A&M University at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge in West Lafayette, Indiana. Streaming for Tuesday’s match will be available on FS1 while Wednesday’s will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
