As No. 15 Indiana volleyball ran through a tunnel of fans onto its home court through a Thursday night, donning their black uniforms, Indiana head coach Steve Aird sat on his team's bench, looking around the arena, writing on his clipboard.
It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for Aird, who looked as though his squad could be playing against any team in the country. But the environment around him was different.
Wilkinson Hall was sold out for Indiana’s contest against No. 1 Nebraska, and in a few minutes, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton would run out of the Hoosiers’ tunnel before taking a seat on the east end of the gym’s bleachers.
Before Thursday, Indiana’s all-time record against top-10 opponents was just 5-151, but fans still showed up for the first top-15 matchup to ever take place in Wilkinson Hall.
Ultimately, Indiana was swept by the top-ranked Cornhuskers (25-15, 25-19, 25-19) on Thursday night in Bloomington. The Hoosiers now have 152 losses to top-10 teams.
In the first two sets, Nebraska quickly gained advantages over Indiana before the Hoosiers started to chip away at the lead. The Cornhuskers started the first set with an 8-2 run and the second with a 7-2 run.
Despite trailing the best team in the country by more than five points, Indiana continued taking shots at Nebraska’s large leads. In the first set, the Hoosiers pulled within four points and in the second, they cut a six-point advantage to just three with a 3-0 run.
However, the Cornhuskers — who have more sweeps than set losses this season — stormed back. Nebraska’s offense, with a Thursday hitting percentage of .379 t, was relentless, while the defense consistently fended off Indiana’s attacks.
The third set was more competitive, as the two teams were tied at 15 points before Nebraska went on a 4-0 run to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Indiana found ways to adapt to Nebraska’s powerful offensive and defensive units as the match progressed, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the Cornhuskers’ eventual sweep.
The loss to Nebraska continued a trend for Indiana over the past two seasons.
The Hoosiers made their ascension to the top of collegiate volleyball last season, making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2010. Indiana finished the season ranked No. 13 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s final poll, its highest placement in program history.
However, Indiana only has two set wins over top-10 programs in the last two years. Last season, No. 1 Nebraska and the then-No. 3 University of Texas at Austin both swept the Cream and Crimson. This season, the Hoosiers have been swept by the then-No. 7 University of Louisville and, now, Nebraska. The two set wins came against then-No. 6 Wisconsin on Oct. 1 at the Badgers’ home gym, which Aird was proud of.
Aird didn’t have a specific area where his squad needs to change to reach the next level and beat top-10 opponents that Indiana — and much of the NCAA — has struggled against.
“We need to get better,” Aird said. “But what’s the bar? And if the bar is we’re a Final Four team, that was disappointing. If the bar is you got five sophomores and a freshman playing and you’re battling like crazy, yeah, I’m OK with it.”
While Indiana was swept by Nebraska, the ninth-year Indiana volleyball head coach was still proud of his squad’s performance.
Aird became the Hoosiers’ head coach the season after Indiana had just one Big Ten win in 2017. He’s built the program into an NCAA Tournament team, but the Hoosiers still have checkpoints to hit.
Indiana has a young roster. Three sophomores and a freshman started alongside a junior and two fifth-year players against Nebraska, so as the Hoosiers navigate their schedule, those players are continuing to develop.
While Indiana isn’t set to face another top-10 opponent on its regular season schedule, the Hoosiers are likely to play another top squad if it makes a run in the NCAA Tournament like it did a season ago.
The postseason is over a month and a half away, so Indiana has time to “get better” before then. The Hoosiers are still set to play seven ranked teams before the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, which they can use as in-game opportunities to test their abilities against high-level competition.
“I just think at times,” Aird said, “the goal is to continue to improve.”
Follow reporters Savannah Slone (@savrivers06 and srslone@iu.edu) and Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki87731 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
