After a nine-match nonconference schedule that included three ranked matchups, No. 18 Indiana volleyball starts its Big Ten schedule Thursday.
And the competition won’t get any easier.
Indiana — which is 7-2 with both losses coming to ranked opponents — begins its 17-match conference slate against UCLA at 7 p.m. Thursday, before taking on Maryland at 7 p.m. Saturday. Both matches will be held at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington and will stream on Big Ten+.
Indiana defeated both Coastal Carolina University and North Carolina State University in four sets over the weekend. After the wins, the Hoosiers jumped three spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Monday. Eight Big Ten programs were ranked in the recent poll, while three received votes, including UCLA.
Last season, Indiana started Big Ten play with wins over Northwestern and Washington before traveling to Los Angeles to take on USC and UCLA, when the Hoosiers recorded wins over both ranked programs. This stretch was one of the moments when Indiana head coach Steve Aird knew his squad had the potential to be special.
“I felt like not only could we travel and play well on the road, but for a really young team, we showed a lot of poise and fight,” Aird said in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student on Aug. 20. “After that weekend, I was like ‘OK, I think we’ve got a chance to have a good year.’”
Indiana now enters Big Ten play solidified as one of the top teams in the nation. Rather than needing to prove that they belong among the best, the Hoosiers are now tasked with avoiding complacency. Thursday’s match against UCLA is the first of 17 regular-season conference matchups that will test Indiana’s ability to stay vigilant.
Meet the Bruins
UCLA is 9-2 ahead of its matchup with the Hoosiers, with losses to No. 3 University of Kentucky and then-No. 25 Brigham Young University. However, the Bruins don’t have any ranked wins on their resume.
The Bruins are in their first season under head coach Matt Werle. Before joining UCLA, Werle was the associate head coach at the University of Kansas in 2025, where he helped the Jayhawks to a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance. He also served as the men’s volleyball coach at Grand Canyon University for 10 seasons.
Throughout the nonconference slate, UCLA was one of the best blocking teams in the Big Ten. Entering Thursday, the Bruins average 2.76 blocks per set, which ranks fourth in the conference. That blocking force powered by fifth-year middle blocker Marianna Singletary, who averages 1.71 blocks per set. That mark leads the Big Ten among players with more than 10 sets played.
In contrast, Indiana is third to last in the Big Ten in blocking. The Hoosiers have averaged just two blocks per set this season, which only leads Wisconsin and Northwestern. Fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry leads Indiana with 1.14 blocks per set, while junior opposite hitter Ella Boersema — a former middle blocker — averages .91.
Offensively, Indiana and UCLA are similar, as both squads average 13.64 kills per set. The Bruins are led by senior outside hitter Maggie Li’s 3.41 kills per set, while sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager’s 3.97 is the Hoosiers’ highest mark.
Meet the Terrapins
After losing its second contest of the season to Vanderbilt University, Maryland is on a nine-match winning streak. Of the Terrapin’s 10 total wins this season, nine have been sweeps of their opponent. Before Maryland travels to Bloomington, the Terrapins will stop in West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on No. 10 Purdue on Thursday evening.
Adam Hughes is in his ninth season as Maryland head coach. Hughes took the position in 2018 as the successor to Aird, who coached Maryland for four seasons before joining Indiana.
Maryland owns one of the best hitting percentages in the Big Ten though its nonconference schedule. The Terrapins are hitting .335, which only trails Michigan State’s mark of .345.
The Terrapins are led by graduate student outside hitter Haley Melby. who averages 3.74 points per set, followed by freshman outside hitter Ava Brown’s 3.53 points per set. Both attackers are hitting above .330 this season.
Last year, Maryland finished at the bottom of the Big Ten standings with just one conference win. The Terrapins started the 2025 season with a 7-3 nonconference record before their poor Big Ten showing.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
