Following a week off, Indiana volleyball will return to the court to face Coastal Carolina University and North Carolina State University on Friday and Saturday, respectively, in the Chanticleer Classic in Conway, South Carolina.
The Hoosiers enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak and a No. 21 American Volleyball Coaches Association ranking. The Chanticleer Classic will mark the end of non-conference play for the Cream and Crimson.
Indiana has accumulated a 5-2 overall record through nonconference play, having competed against three top 25 opponents. The Hoosiers defeated then-No. 12 Texas A&M University but fell to then-No. 22 University of Tennessee and then-No. 7 University of Louisville.
Sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and junior middle blocker Ella Boersema lead the Hoosiers in kills per set with 3.72 and 3.00, respectively. As a team, Indiana holds a .237 attacking percentage, while holding opponents to .208.
Meet the Opponents:
Coastal Carolina
The Hoosiers will kick off the Chanticleer Classic with a game against the host team, Coastal Carolina, at 6 p.m. Friday. The Chanticleer’s are 4-3 overall and enter the matchup after a sweep loss to Tennessee. Coastal Carolina has yet to defeat a Power Four opponent this season.
The Chanticleer’s offense relies on a balanced attack with seven players averaging between 1.83 and 3.00 kills per set. Coastal Carolina junior outside hitter Anzley Rinard leads the team in total kills and kills per set. Rinard has tallied 78 total kills and is averaging three kills per set.
The Chanticleers and the Hoosiers have only played one time in program history. The two programs met in September 2013, when Indiana earned a sweep victory in Charleston, South Carolina.
NC State
Following Friday night’s match, Indiana will have a quick turn-around when it faces NC State at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Wolfpack are 8-1 on the season, having won their last six games. NC State’s lone loss of the season came against the University of Central Florida on Aug. 30.
Freshman outside hitter Britni Silver has been the main source of offense for the Wolfpack this season. Silver is averaging 4.30 points per set and has tallied 128 kills. She has two 20+ kill games this season, tallying 25 against Wofford University and 22 against Louisiana State University.
The team is led by head coach Megan Wargo-Kearney who is in her second year at the helm and seventh year with the program. Last season, Wargo-Kearney led NC State to a .500 record and an 8-12 record in ACC play.
The meeting between NC State and Indiana will be the third all-time matchup between the two programs. The series is tied 1-1 with the Hoosiers defeating the Wolfpack in Bloomington in 2010 and falling in Raleigh in 2022.
A victory over the Wolfpack would mark Indiana’s fourth-straight year with a win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent and the Hoosiers’ third victory over a Power Four opponent this season.
Friday’s match against the Chanticleer’s will be streamed on ESPN+. No stream will be available for the Hoosiers’ game against the Wolfpack.
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
