After five consecutive matches away from Bloomington, No. 21 Indiana volleyball returns to Wilkinson Hall for the Indiana Invitational this weekend. The Hoosiers will host California Polytechnic State University at 7 p.m. Thursday and Eastern Illinois University at 7 p.m. Friday.
Indiana has gone 3-2 in its first matches of the season, defeating just one of the three ranked teams on its schedule.
The Hoosiers were swept by then-No. 7 University of Louisville in its season opener, before defeating then-No. 12 Texas A&M University in five sets during the Big Ten/Southeastern Conference Volleyball Challenge Week. However, the Hoosiers were set back after they lost to then-No. 22 University of Tennessee on Sept. 6.
In its other two matches, Indiana defeated the University of Georgia and the University of Southern Indiana in four sets.
Sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager has been the main source of Indiana’s offensive attack, averaging 3.42 kills per set on a .146 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Ella Boersema’s 3.26 kills per set ranks second on the team.
Boersema played the first four matches of the season at opposite hitter but moved back to middle blocker against Southern Indiana in the absence of fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry. Granberry was on the sideline in uniform but did not play in the contest Monday.
On Sept. 4, the Monroe Circuit Court in Indiana granted fifth-year opposite hitter Avry Tatum a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, which made her eligible for the 2026 season. However, Tatum did not play in the Hoosiers’ following matches against Tennessee or Southern Indiana.
Another hearing here will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, the day of the Hoosiers’ contest against Eastern Illinois, at the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center to determine if the athletes will be granted a preliminary injunction. If granted, the preliminary injunction would extend their eligibility through the rest of the 2026 season.
Meet the opponents
The Hoosiers’ first opponent of the invitational is Cal Poly, which received votes in the most recent AVCA rankings.
The Mustangs are 3-2 this season. They’ve played just one ranked team so far, getting swept by then-No. 8 Texas A&M on Aug. 29. Cal Poly’s three wins were sweeps of Grand Canyon University and Arkansas State University, and a four-set victory over San Diego State University.
Junior outside hitter Kendall Beshear leads the Mustangs in scoring through five matches with 3.44 kills per set, followed by senior outside hitter Emma Fredrick’s 3.22 kills per set. Those marks are ranked ninth and 12th, respectively, in the Big West Conference.
Sophomore middle blocker Charlotte Kelly leads Cal Poly’s defensive unit, as she averages 1.12 blocks per set, the most among players with at least 13 sets played.
If Indiana were to notch a win over Cal Poly, it would be the Hoosiers’ second win of the season over a team that went to the 2025 NCAA Tournament regional semifinals. Last season, the Mustangs went 27-8 overall, and defeated No. 5-seeded Brigham Young University and No. 4-seeded USC to reach the Sweet 16 as an unseeded team. But the Mustangs were swept by No. 1-seeded University of Kentucky in the third round.
Indiana will then take on Eastern Illinois in its second matchup of the Indiana Invitational on Friday.
Eastern Illinois is just 1-5 this season, a stark difference from last season, when the Panthers started the season with five consecutive wins. The Panthers’ one victory this year came in their season opener against Santa Clara University. Four of Eastern Illinois’ top five scorers from last season are no longer on the team, as three were seniors and one transferred. The only remaining is junior attacker Katie Kopshever, who is averaging 4.10 points per set in 2026.
Defensively, the Panthers are led by freshman middle blocker Emma Hanson, who is averaging .95 blocks per set this season.
Eastern Illinois made the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history last season, falling to No. 3-seeded Wisconsin in the first round. The Panthers finished the year with a 24-8 overall record.
Both matches of the Indiana Invitational will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
