IU volleyball (22-11) beat the Miami Hurricanes (23-9) in five sets Friday night at University Gym in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers won 19-25, 25-18, 25-13, 20-25, and 15-9 to earn just their third trip in school history to the tournament's second round.
The Hoosiers were led by senior middle blocker Ashley Benson with 25 kills and sophomore outside hitter Jordan Haverly with 21 kills. Benson won the match in front of 1,562 fans with her final kill of the night in the deciding fifth set.
IU improved their home record to 12-2 at University Gym. This is the last game for IU fans to see the Hoosiers play in Bloomington.
In the day's other contest, No. 11-seed Tennessee defeated Alabama A&M in three sets. IU will now take on the Volunteers in the second-round match at 3 p.m. Saturday, also at University Gym.
The Hoosiers have never made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in school history, after losing in the second round in both 1998 and 1999.
If IU wins on Saturday, they will be one of the final 16 teams in the tournament and will play the third round game in Dayton, OH.
Check out my live blog on Hoosier Hype for Saturday's match.
