When No. 21 Indiana volleyball’s Emma Segal entered the Hoosiers’ contest against Eastern Illinois University for just the second time Friday night, she immediately jogged to the area of the court behind the right endline.
The junior defensive specialist bounced the ball nine times before stepping up to the service line. Segal tossed the volleyball in the air with her left hand and struck it with her right.
The ball sailed over the right side of the net and into the outstretched arms of Eastern Illinois junior libero Ariadna Pereles. As Segal’s serve bounced off Pereles’ arms, it went straight over the net toward an awaiting Jaidyn Jager.
Pereles’ overpass perfectly set up Indiana’s sophomore outside hitter for an attack. Jager took advantage with a kill, giving the Hoosiers a 21-15 lead in the first set, which tied their largest of the night to that point.
While Segal’s serve wasn’t an ace, it showed how important effective serving can be. A good serve can throw off an opponent, which Indiana consistently used to its advantage throughout its two matches at the Indiana Invitational at Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington.
Indiana swept California Polytechnic State University (25-11, 25-16, 28-26) on Thursday and Eastern Illinois (25-16, 25-18, 25-13) on Friday en route to a 2-0 performance at its home invitational. The Hoosiers recorded 16 total service aces across their six sets played, while their opponents had just two total, an area that propelled the Cream and Crimson to the dominant performance in its home gym.
“I think being at home, you’re just more comfortable,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said of his team’s serving performance postgame Friday. “It’s like shooting free throws at home. You spend a lot of time in that building, doing that skill. So, I thought we had a couple good serving days in a row.”
Despite having eight service aces in each of Thursday and Friday’s matches, Aird thought his squad’s serving performance against Cal Poly was better than against Eastern Illinois.
The Hoosiers’ service aces against the Mustangs were distributed evenly between four players: Segal, Jager, sophomore defensive specialist Hannah Leftridge and sophomore setter Teodora Kričković.
Despite eight service errors, the aces were crucial in Indiana’s sweep of Cal Poly, which Aird believes could be a top-25 team and received votes in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association rankings.
In the first two sets Thursday, the Hoosiers used the aces to establish their lead over the Mustangs. In the third set, however, an ace from Leftridge was used to prevent the Cream and Crimson from dropping the game, which was within two points.
Indiana largely dominated Eastern Illinois on Friday, as the Hoosiers’ service aces against the Panthers were once again used to build leads. Jager and fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry led Indiana’s efforts from the service line with two aces each against Eastern Illinois.
“We’ve had some good contributions,” Aird said, “but we really haven’t found it yet.”
The Hoosiers struggled from the service line in their first five matches of the season, recording just 24 service aces and 49 service errors prior to their home invitational. It’s an area where Aird’s squad has traditionally excelled, but the start to 2026 has been less than ideal for the Cream and Crimson.
Aird said that to be a team that’s “relevant nationally,” success at the service line is a must. If his squad is going to beat the top teams, serving will be a factor. Last season, when Indiana made an NCAA Tournament run, the Hoosiers averaged 1.7 service aces per set, which ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 54th in NCAA Division I.
And while Indiana has historically been efficient at serving, the Hoosiers are continuing to make it part of their identity, Granberry said.
“We’ve been focusing a lot on our serves and making that a part of who we are,” Granberry said Friday. “And so, I think that it really showed tonight, like all of us being aggressive when we get back there.”
The Hoosiers will be back on the road for their next two contests before Big Ten play starts on Sept. 24 against UCLA. Indiana will take on Coastal Carolina University and North Carolina State University on Sept. 18-19 at the Chanticleer Classic in Conway, South Carolina.
The Cream and Crimson will be away from their home gym and home crowd, but they can’t let the service errors start to creep in when they aren’t in Wilkinson Hall. If they do, the Hoosiers could see their name start to slip down the conference standings.
“I don’t know if you ask a volleyball coach, if they ever think the serving is good enough,” Aird said. “It's one of those things; it’s like its evergreen. So, we’ll keep working on it.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
