During No. 18 Indiana volleyball’s Big Ten opener against UCLA, the Hoosiers found themselves down 23-20 in a pivotal first set. The first set of volleyball is essential as it can create momentum and set the tone for a match.
Indiana’s momentum was gone. After leading through the first 19 points of the set, the Hoosiers were now facing their largest deficit of the match.
But instead of succumbing to the pressure, Indiana rose to the occasion. The Hoosiers mustered up a 7-2 run to come back and defeat the Bruins 27-25 in the first set.
This moment in Indiana’s 3-0 victory over UCLA on Thursday in Wilkinson Hall showed the team’s resilience and readiness for tougher competition. It represented the Cream and Crimson’s ability to fight and stay poised in what will be an every match battle in the potent Big Ten conference this season.
“I thought all three games we had real control and then got sloppy and then found control again,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said postgame. “But a win is a win, and we found a way to gut it out and compete.”
Indiana got out to hot starts in each of the first two sets, but allowed UCLA runs throughout. While the Hoosiers were always able to recover from those runs, it wasn’t the clean volleyball Aird may want through the duration of sets this season.
But the Hoosiers are in conference play now. And eliminating all runs against quality opponents is unrealistic.
“I think part of it is errors, I think part of its maturity and just making better decisions,” Aird said “But the other side of it is, it’s the Big Ten and the teams are good. You know, you’re not gonna sweep people often.”
The Big Ten conference currently holds eight American Volleyball Coaches Association ranked teams, while three others receive votes. It's a stacked conference that demands high performance each night.
In addition to the Hoosiers’ resiliency, they did something hard to do in the Big Ten: sweep their opponent.
Ahead of Thursday’s match, Indiana ranked in the bottom three in the conference for blocking. The Bruins, on the other hand, were one of the best blocking teams in the conference, led by fifth-year middle blocker, Marianna Singletary, who sits atop the Big Ten in blocks per set.
However, in the head-to-head battle, Indiana tallied two more blocks than UCLA and limited Singletary to three all night. Indiana fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry led all players with six total blocks.
While the Hoosiers' stepped up defensively, they also displayed an efficient and well-rounded offense. As a team, Indiana hit .238 and tallied 45 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and junior opposite hitter Ella Boersema led the way with 13 and 10 kills, respectively.
Due to the high-level play being demonstrated between the two programs, the energy was potent inside the packed Wilkinson Hall, and a victory to begin conference play was needed, especially in Bloomington.
“Honestly, it feels so relieving, especially that we got to play at home and have students come out and fans come out and just play in this atmosphere,” Granberry said postgame. “I think it really helped boost our confidence, like we already have it, but it just helps us feel like we’re heading into the right direction.”
The Hoosiers’ victory over the Bruins moved them to 8-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Thursday proved the Cream and Crimson are ready for the tough conference schedule that lies ahead.
Indiana will look to build on its momentum when it faces Maryland at 7 p.m. Saturday in Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington. The game 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.
