When Indiana volleyball traveled to West Lafayette for the Big Ten/Southeastern Conference Volleyball Challenge Week, the Hoosiers knew they needed a response.
In its season opener sweep loss to then-No.7 University of Louisville on Aug. 28, Indiana delivered less than satisfactory results. The Hoosiers tallied just four more kills than attacking errors and posted a .043 hitting percentage. The Cream and Crimson were only competitive in one set, falling 25-20, 25-12, 25-11.
It was a performance in which Indiana head coach Steve Aird said his team was defeated in “all facets.” When the two programs faced off, the Cardinals had previously been swept by then-No. 6 Wisconsin.
Louisville delivered the response it needed against Indiana. The Hoosiers needed to do the same in their next match.
“I thought it was an important performance for Louisville coming off a loss,” Aird said following the defeat to the Cardinals. “Our next match will tell us a lot about my team.”
And the Hoosiers' next matches did just that.
In the first game of the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge on Tuesday, Indiana defeated the University of Georgia in four sets (26-24, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17). Ahead of the matchup, the Bulldogs were 3-0 on the season.
The contest between the two was neck and neck throughout. The first three sets of the match were decided by three or fewer points each until the Hoosiers pulled away in the final set.
Indiana’s offense was clicking as the Hoosiers tallied at least 14 kills in all four sets. Sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager collected 19 kills of her own off a .240 attacking percentage. Junior opposite hitter Ella Boersema had a career night, finishing with 12 kills, zero attacking errors and a .667 hitting percentage.
It was a complete turnaround from the Hoosiers’ performance against the Cardinals, where no player tallied more than seven kills.
That performance alone would have been considered a sufficient response. But Indiana didn’t stop there.
On Wednesday, the Cream and Crimson continued their momentum into a matchup with the reigning national champions and No. 12 Texas A&M University.
In the first set, Indiana got out to a hot 11-4 start, forcing the Aggies into two early timeouts. And despite pushes from Texas A&M throughout the set, the Hoosiers held on to win 26-24.
The match remained a battle throughout. The second and third sets were decided by just a combined four points, with Indiana dropping the second set and winning the third.
Texas A&M stormed back in the fourth set, winning 25-17, but the Hoosiers didn’t back off. Indiana brought the energy in the final set, defeating the Aggies 15-9 in the five-set battle.
Boersema and Jager continued their success from the night before. Boersema produced another career night with a new career-high 21 kills and a .471 attacking percentage, while Jager tallied 17 kills, four blocks and 11 digs.
As a team, the Hoosiers accumulated 63 kills and eight service aces against the Aggies. But against the Cardinals, Indiana only tallied 26 kills and zero service aces.
It was a drastic, offensive turnaround.
The tournament provided the Hoosiers with their first signature victory of the season and produced exactly the results the team hoped for following a tough loss.
Indiana will have a few days to rest before it must face another top opponent in No. 22 Tennessee. Looking to continue their momentum, the match is set for 3 p.m. Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
