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(10/16/02 5:01am)
What is so amazing about senior Hillary Toivonen is not that she is the lone senior on a 12-6 squad, or that she has played in over 60 straight matches in three years. Rather, it is that she is doing all of this when doctors told her it couldn't be done. \nA native of Muncie, Toivonen has defied the odds in her athletic career. In seventh grade, doctors diagnosed Toivonen with scoliosis. Her spinal curvature is off by 36 degrees from the normal curve. A condition to the extent of Toivonen's, especially in the back, creates serious problems for a person as athletic as herself. But it hasn't prevented Toivonen from reaching her goals. \n"I do not want it to limit my skills at all," she said. "That's why I continue to work at keeping my legs strong."\nToivonen is leading the team with just over three digs a game at a position called the libero. \nInstalled in the NCAA just this year, it is a position that utilizes a player's passing and defensive skills. Wearing a different uniform then her fellow teammates, Toivonen is not allowed by rule to attack on offense. Instead, she focuses strictly on receiving and setting up her teammates. \n"I can initiate each play, " she said. "I am able to communicate to the team and start the offense."\nThe libero position is tailor-made for a player and leader like Toivonen. As the only senior, Toivonen has also filled the role of helping along the inexperienced players and helping the Hoosiers to a 12-6 record. But, Toivonen says this leadership role is easier thanks to the help of some of her junior teammates.\n"I try hard to help out the freshmen," she said. "But we have a group of leaders on this team. We are all very close."\nToivonen is also the reigning iron woman of her sport. In three plus seasons, Toivonen has played in over 60 matches in a row. Her experience going into this season has proved to be vital to the Hoosiers' success.\nThe Hoosiers are off to a 12-6 record as Toivonen is playing her best volleyball as a senior.\n"She is doing everything we have asked her to do," coach Katie Weismiller said. "It is great to see someone have their best year as a senior."\nToivonen's leadership hasn't been limited to her senior role on the court. Her leadership off the court for fellow teammates is what they say helps them the most. \n"She is always there for someone to talk to," freshman Ashley White said. "She's like a big sister for me. She helps with everything on the court as well"
(10/04/02 8:27pm)
After receiving votes in the top 25 of the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll, the women's volleyball team will travel to Michigan this weekend to battle the Wolverines Friday night and the No. 21 ranked Michigan State Spartans Saturday.\nIU (11-3, 1-1) has won six of seven games, but are coming off a loss to the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions last weekend. The Hoosiers look to build upon a 1-2 road record this season, but said they know things will not come easy against the fast-paced Wolverines.\n"They will be out to beat us," sophomore middle blocker Katie Pollom said. "It will be tough since it is their 'pack the place night.'"\nMichigan, (7-5, 1-1) is led by Greenwood, Ind. native, sophomore Jennifer Gandolph, who leads the team with a 3.80 kills per game average. The Wolverines lone loss came to the No. 8 ranked Minnesota. Their Big Ten win came in the conference opener against Iowa. \nIU coach Katie Weismiller stressed the importance of not overlooking a good Michigan team.\n"UM is a very good team," Weismiller said. "It is important that we remember to play one point, one game and one match at a time."\nOn Saturday, the Hoosiers will play the 4th ranked opponent in their last five games as they head to East Lansing to face Michigan State. The Spartans, (9-3, 1-1) have beaten the likes of 24th ranked Kansas State earlier in the year. They are paced by junior Sara Villwock, who leads the team with just over four kills per game. \n"They are a top team every year," junior middle blocker Melissa Brewer said. "This would be a huge win for us. It's going to be fun on Saturday night."\nBrewer is 3rd on the team with 3.57 kills per game and leads the Hoosiers with 1.13 blocks per game.\n"It's the best skill I have that I can contribute to the team," Brewer said about her blocking. "As a team we are big, and its good that we are finally starting to use our size for blocking.''\nThe Hoosiers are 1-1 in the Big Ten, a conference which has 7 out of the 11 teams ranked in the top 37. \n"The Big Ten is tough," Weismiller said. "It is one of the best conferences in the country, which means every night is a big match."\nThe game Friday night against Michigan will be the Hoosiers first test after receiving the top 25 votes.\nWeismiller is well aware of the challenges that this respect brings. \n"We now have a mark on our back," she said. "But it does not change what we do or how we prepare"
(09/23/02 5:13am)
The volleyball team took first place this weekend in the IU Credit Union tournament, beating Central Michigan and Butler and upsetting the No. 30 ranked Louisville Cardinals. IU extended their winning streak to five games heading into conference play Wednesday night against Ohio State. \nIn the opener Friday night, Central Michigan took a 28-25 lead on a late 5-0 run. But, IU quashed the rally, as the Hoosiers scored the next four points en route to a 34-32 victory in game one. \nIn game two, the Hoosiers held off numerous Chippewa rallies to win the game by the score of 30-25. In game three, the Hoosiers got off to a fast start as they reeled off five of the first six points and cruised to a 30-23 victory and a 3-0 match win. \n"The team came out and showed a lot of character tonight," coach Katie Weismiller said. "To come back and win game one was huge."\nSophomore Christina Archibald finished the match with a team leading 38 kills.\n"It took me a game to figure what the defense was running," Archibald said. "But after that, I knew I had the line open all day long."\nOn Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers began their second match of the tournament by squaring off against state rival Butler. Game one went back and forth early, but the team held off the Bulldogs behind a couple 3-0 runs. The Hoosiers won game one 30-26. In the second game, Butler took an early lead and held off a late IU rally to win 30-27. The Bulldogs continued their momentum in game three with a late 8-1 run to pull ahead and eventually win 30-22.\n"They dug some hard shots; you have to give their players a lot of credit," Weismiller said. \nIn the deciding game four, Archibald had 21 kills and sophomore Katie Pollom added 11, as the Hoosiers jumped out early with a 12-5 lead. IU took a late 27-24 lead on a monstrous Archibald kill and won the game 30-28 on a Butler service error.\n"Our blocking picked up in game four," Weismiller said. "We had some key players step up for us."\nIn the fifth and deciding game, the Hoosiers established themselves early as they jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. The Hoosiers trailed13-12, but then scored the next three points before ending the match on a powerful Nikki Hill kill. \n"We knew it would be tough against Butler," Weismiller said. "We did not start off the way we wanted to, but a win is a win and I will take it anytime."\nNext up for the Hoosiers was the No. 30 ranked Louisville Cardinals. Archibald led the team as she scored five of the Hoosiers' first eight points, and the team won the first game 30-18. \nThe second game was more tightly contested, as the Hoosiers used timely blocking and powerful hitting to jump out to a 19-18 lead. Louisville pulled to within 28-24 on a kill by sophomore Bing Sun, but would get no closer as the Hoosiers scored three in a row to win 30-25. The third game turned out to be the closest game of the year for IU, with ties at 15, 21 and 28. Indiana grabbed a late 30-29 lead on a kill by Archibald. Louisville extended the match, however, scoring on an ace by junior outside hitter Anastasia Zaitseva and a kill by Sun to win game three 32-30. In game four, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 12-1 lead and never looked back. Louisville closed to within 6, at 21-15, but the Hoosiers cruised to a 30-22 game, match and tournament victory. \n"We came out and really played well in game four," Weismiller said. "Christina (Archibald) had a tremendous weekend and we did what we had to do -- run a fast offense, played defense and terminated."\nThe Hoosiers have won five in a row and now own a 10-2 record. Hoosiers Archibald, Hill and junior Melissa Brewer were named to the IU Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team.
(09/20/02 6:20am)
One week after finishing in second place at the Maryland Tournament, the women's volleyball team will try to improve on a 7-2 record, their seventh best start in team history. They play host to Central Michigan, Butler and Louisville in the IU Credit Union tournament this weekend. \nThe Hoosiers have won two in a row and four out of five, and with a win Friday night against Central Michigan, will have tied last year's win total of eight. Last weekend at the Maryland tournament, the Hoosiers lost their opening match to the Terrapins, but then came back to beat Loyola Marymount and Boston College 3-2.\n"It is important that we keep this momentum and winning streak going into, and through, the weekend," senior libero Hillary Toivonen said.\nToivonen leads the team with 3.06 digs per game, a statistic she said she takes a lot of pride in.\n"I want to be a defender that my whole team can count on," she said.\nIU will battle Central Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday night to open the tournament. The Chippewas enter the match with a 3-6 record. Senior middle hitter Kendra Devries leads the Chippewas with a 352 hitting percentage and 3 kills per game.\nOn Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers will face off against in-state rival Butler, which enters the contest on a two game winning streak. IU is prepared for the Bulldogs best fight, head coach Katie Weismiller said.\n"We are Butler's biggest match of the season," coach Katie Weismiller said. "They will be after us."\nThe third and final match of the tournament has IU facing the 30th ranked Louisville Cardinals. The Cardinals match the Hoosiers with a 7-2 record. The last time the two teams met was in 1996, when the Hoosiers lost 3-0. \nThis tournament marks the conclusion of the non-conference schedule, but is only the Hoosiers' fourth home game. They own a 2-1 record at University Gym and said they understand the importance of establishing themselves at home.\n"We want to show our home fans how we can play this year," sophomore middle blocker Katie Pollom said. "We need to compete hard with our home fans watching." \nPollom leads the team with 1.18 blocks per game.\nDuring the Hoosiers 7-2 start this season, they have a match record of 23-11, while averaging almost four kills per game more than their opponent.\n"We want to keep our winning streak alive." Weismiller said. "I believe we will play well this weekend"
