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(04/10/14 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers’ bats powered the baseball team to its seventh-straight win Wednesday, knocking off Indiana State 8-4.Junior outfielder Brad Hartong led the way for IU with two hits — one was his second home run of the season — and four RBIs. Hartong has played in 21 of the 29 games this season, with yesterday’s game marking only his 14th start.“He went first pitch slider to me, so I knew I’d probably see it,” Hartong said. “I got another one in the at-bat, and he left it up and I put a good swing on it.”IU Coach Tracy Smith said Hartong helps the Hoosier lineup, saying his athleticism helps the team on the field.“He was the difference and kind of set the tone,” Smith said. “He had a big hit for us Sunday at Iowa and it’s nice to see him carry that momentum and that confidence into this game.”Junior first baseman Sam Travis hit a three-run home run, his third of the season, to break the game open in the sixth inning. Junior outfielder Will Nolden got the other IU RBI with a double in the second that scored Hartong.“Now everyone is relaxing and staying concentrated throughout the game,” Hartong said. “We’re coming to the yard expecting to win now, not fighting to win.”Senior Brian Korte got his first start of the season on the mound for IU. He went three innings giving up one run on three hits, while striking out four Sycamores. Freshman Thomas Belcher came in and threw four innings following Korte, giving up two runs on two hits with three strikeouts. He got into some trouble in the seventh and was pulled for sophomore Sullivan Stadler who was soon replaced by sophomore Evan Bell. Sophomore Scott Effross finished out the game for IU.“The plan was to break it up and even use more guys than we did,” Smith said. “I thought Brian Korte was really good, and of course Belcher came in and threw strikes.”It was the second time this season Belcher had thrown four innings, the first occurring during a game against Louisville.“It feels really great,” Belcher said. “It was important for me to go out there and eat some innings for our pitching staff. My sinker was working really well tonight.”The Hoosiers (19-10, 8-1) split the season series with Indiana State (21-9) with the win, after losing a couple weeks ago 12-8 in Terre Haute, the team’s last loss. Smith has seen improvement since then, the last game his team lost since sweeping Ohio State and Iowa.“We knew we had a good offensive team,” Smith said. “We never were in panic mode, but it sure makes your job easier as a manager when you’re scoring runs.”Freshman left-hander Ryan Keaffaber started on the hill for Indiana State and went two innings, giving up one run on one hit and one strikeout. Typically a reliever, it was a group effort pitching-wise for the Sycamores, as it was for the Hoosiers.“We are very confident as a pitching staff that whoever we put out there is going to compete and get us outs,” Belcher said. “We know we have guys that are very capable of performing at a high level.”
(03/26/14 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After taking two of three against Michigan last weekend, the IU baseball team (12-9, 2-1) advances to play Indiana State (15-5) at 3:30 today.Hoosiers offense has not lived up to IU Coach Tracy Smith’s expectations, but designated junior hitter Scott Donley said the team should bounce back soon.“It’s just execution,” Donley said. “When we have runners on third base we need to put the ball in the air, hit a sacrifice fly... we have to be able to lay down bunts.” The start time of the game was moved to 3:30 because of expected cold weather in Terre Haute.“It’s a really big game,” Donley said. “We have to come out and play well against them. Indiana State’s proven themselves this year and have quite a few big wins. It’s going to be a good game.”Sophomore left-handed pitcher Sullivan Stadler will start on the mound for IU. It will be his second start of the year, as he started against Louisville last week where he picked up his first win. He is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and three strikeouts. Opponents are batting .241 against him this season.“He did a good job for us,” Smith said. “I think he has earned the opportunity to follow that up with another performance.”Smith also said he is looking for another outing where he competes aggressively in the strike zone. The Hoosiers have a team ERA of 2.55, which is the best in the Big Ten.“There is not an issue with the way we’ve been pitching the baseball,” Smith said. “These starters, midweek included, have given us a chance to win the game every single time. That’s their job, that’s their role.”The Sycamores are No. 22 in Ratings Percentage Index, or RPI, meaning the game will play a big part of where IU ranks next week.“They’ve always been a good test for us, being a neighbor and in-state,” Smith said. “The RPI implication is a big part of it, but we’re not going to go over there and think about RPI. We’re going to go over there and think about playing good, standard, quality baseball.”IU is led on offense by junior catcher Kyle Schwarber, who is batting .313 with three home runs and 11 RBIs, junior first baseman Sam Travis who is batting .325 with six doubles and 17 RBIs, senior third baseman Dustin DeMuth who is batting .343 with one home run and five RBIs and by junior second baseman Casey Rodrigue who is batting .326 with nine steals and 12 RBIs.“(We need to) hit balls hard, not far,” Smith said. “I think once we focus on that and swing at pitches in the zone and pitches we can handle, and recognize pitches in the zone and pitches we can handle, I think our results will turn around.”
(03/24/14 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior catcher Kyle Schwarber leaned against the gray fence just outside Bart Kaufman field after doing interviews with reporters. The IU baseball team had just lost the final game of the three game series against Michigan on Sunday, but Schwarber was out signing autographs for young Hoosier fans.Despite taking two of three in its conference opening series, the IU team was not happy with its performance.“Words can’t really describe how mad and upset we are with ourselves,” Schwarber said. “That’s a game that we easily should’ve had. We made mental mistakes and physical mistakes, and it was just all around not a very well-played game by us and we need to figure out what this team is going to be about.”IU (12-9, 2-1) had its chances, stranding runners in scoring position with no outs in the eighth inning, and left the bases loaded with one out in the fourth inning. IU left a total of 32 base runners on base in the series. Junior Chris Suika was on third with no outs in the eighth when he was picked off, following a failed bunt attempt that IU Coach Tracy Smith said was not supposed to be a suicide squeeze. IU then had runners at first and third with two outs. Junior outfielder Will Nolden hit a deep fly ball to the right field corner that was caught by a diving Jackson Lamb, a 6-foot-6-inch freshman for Michigan (9-14-1, 1-2).“The kid made a great catch in right field,” Smith said. “That ball flies, and maybe we’re sitting here with a different mood.”The Hoosiers won game one 5-3 on Friday, and took game two 5-1 on Saturday before the 4-3 loss on Sunday.“If we win every Big Ten series I think we will be feeling pretty good about ourselves,” Smith said. “But I’m a little stung with the way we played here, and it’ll probably be a good three weeks before I forget about it.”Senior pitcher Joey DeNato picked up his fourth win of the year for the Hoosiers in game one, going five and one third innings with five strikeouts. He also walked five batters and gave up three earned runs on four hits. He currently has a 2.39 ERA. Junior pitcher Kyle Hart pitched game two for IU and went seven innings, giving up no runs on two hits and seven strikeouts. He is now 3-1 on the season with a 2.01 ERA.Sophomore pitcher Christian Morris started game three and went five innings, giving up four runs, only one earned, on eight hits, and a career-high five strikeouts. He took the loss for IU and goes to 0-2 with a 2.43 ERA.“We can’t ask more from what our pitchers are doing right now,” Smith said. “They are giving us a chance to win every single baseball game. My frustration is with us offensively. We are too good of hitters to be doing what we are offensively, and we need to pull together.”Smith said the team was playing with a lack of focus, and too many players were trying to do too much in their at-bats.“At the end of the day, if I have to lose a battle to win the war with this group I’m okay with that,” Smith said. “My message to them was we’re an average baseball team (when we are giving at-bats away). If we want to be special and a championship caliber team, then we need to make some adjustments.”
(03/11/14 10:26pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a big swing, junior catcher Kyle Schwarber launched a solo home run to straight-away center field.It was his third of the season and it gave the Hoosiers a 5-2 lead in the fifth inning, putting the game out of reach from the Kentucky Wildcats.“It was just a fastball,” Schwarber said. “I didn’t have very good at bats before that and was kind of getting sick of it.” No. 16 IU improved to 8-6 on the season with the 7-2 victory. The No. 20 Wildcats fell to 13-4.The home run was not the only one of the game. IU senior third baseman Dustin DeMuth whacked his first of the year, a two-run homer to right field in the fourth inning. Junior third baseman Max Kuhn hit a solo home-run in the fourth inning for Kentucky.“It’s always good to get one under your belt,” DeMuth said. “Hopefully there are more to come.”Junior left-hander Kyle Hart got the start on the hill for IU and went eight innings, getting the win. He gave up two runs — only one earned — on five hits and struck out eight batters, walking none and also hit one batter. “We’ve been looking for that consistency out of him,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “It was a big win not just for the team, but also for him to get him back on track.”Sophomore Dylan Dwyer got the start for Kentucky and went 7.1 innings, giving up seven earned runs on five hits, no walks and nine strikeouts.“It was a big win,” junior first baseman Sam Travis said. “We needed to come out how we did today, and I thought we did a great job.”The scoring started for the Hoosiers in the first inning when Schwarber got on base with a double, a ball that the center fielder lost in the sun. Then junior second baseman Casey Rodrigue hit a double to right field, driving in Schwarber. Rodrigue scored on a groundout by junior designated hitter Scott Donley.IU picked up its next three runs on the home runs before tacking on two more in the ninth inning, when Travis hit a two-out single, driving in both Schwarber and Rodrigue.“Generally in baseball when you get the two-out RBI, you have a good chance of winning,” Smith said. “I thought our guys that needed to hit in crucial situations did a good job of it today. If you draw it up that’s what it’s supposed to look like.”The warm temperatures brought 2,746 people to Bart Kaufman Field, something Smith said gave IU energy.“I think that’s what people fail to realize is that when you’re a team from the North, you’re playing a lot of baseball on the road, and you’re playing in that environment when they’re rooting against you,” Smith said. “It’s nice for our guys to come back and have people pulling for them.”
(03/11/14 3:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The two schools didn’t play in basketball this year, but IU rival Kentucky will come to Bloomington today to take on the Hoosiers baseball team at 4 p.m.The Hoosiers enter the week as the No. 16 team in the country, while the Wildcats are slotted at No. 20.This past weekend, IU took 2-of-3 in a series against Jacksonville. Senior pitcher Joey DeNato took his first loss of the year in game one, as IU fell 4-3. The Hoosiers offense came to life in the last two games when they totaled 16 runs en route to victories.“Hopefully, we’ll get a little more consistency (with the offense),” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “I’m hoping that we’ll see more improvements there.” IU (7-6) has its first winning record of the season and will have to calm the Kentucky offense, which scored 58 runs in just three games against Ball State during the weekend. The Wildcats are 13-3 on the season and have a win over now-No. 3 Virginia.“They’re an SEC team, they’re always solid,” junior first baseman Sam Travis said. “They’re going to play to win and bring their A game. We just have to go in ready to play, treat it like another game, come in with a lot of energy and keep the bats going.”Kentucky is led by Indiana native A.J. Reed, a junior who has eight home runs and 28 RBIs to go along with a .436 batting average this season. He is helped by junior Austin Cousino who is batting .443 with one home-run and 10 RBIs. Kentucky has six starters batting .343 or above.“They’ve always been good,” Smith said. “We’ve struggled to get the win against them. It’s certainly going to be a challenge and we look forward to the challenge. “If we have good approaches and throw strikes, we’ll have a chance to win the game.”It will be junior left-hander Kyle Hart on the mound for IU. He is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA this year, and he got the win in IU’s home opener against Xavier last week. He also pitched the ninth inning in the last game against Jacksonville for the second time this season.“I don’t care if I throw mop-up innings, I don’t care if I’m throwing Friday, Saturday, Sunday or midweeks,” Hart said. “I’m happy to do anything to get more wins on the board for us.”Hart said he prepares as if the Hoosiers aren’t going to score each game, and he has to go out and give up no runs.“That’s kind of how you want to go about it,” Hart said. “If we score 10 runs, that’s great, and if you score one, that should be fine, too.”He will be opposed by left-hander Dylan Dwyer, who is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. The sophomore threw a complete game shutout against Cincinnati earlier this year.IU is led by junior catcher Kyle Schwarber, who is batting .333 with two home-runs and seven RBIs. Junior second baseman Casey Rodrigue is batting .321 with four RBIs, and Travis is batting .320 with 11 RBIs.“We have to be ready to play,” Smith said.
(03/06/14 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the seventh inning of Wednesday’s home baseball opener, the Hoosiers were able to push across two runs after maintaining a scoreless first six frames. Sophomore shortstop Nick Ramos hit a sacrifice fly to drive in freshman outfielder Craig Dedelow and, two batters later, junior Casey Rodrigue doubled to drive in junior Tim O’Conner, giving IU a 2-0 lead.It was enough for the victory as the Hoosier bullpen was able to finish off the Musketeers, solidifying a 2-1 win. No. 17 IU improved to 5-5 on the season, while Xavier fell to 5-4.The win didn’t come without sacrifice, however. IU lost senior closer Ryan Halstead to an injury in the eighth inning. Attempting to field a ball hit to the left side of the mound, Halstead reached down with his bare hand, but twisted his knee and fell to the turf.“It’d be a terrible loss,” Kyle Hart, junior starting pitcher said. “I hope to God that he’s alright because I can’t imagine not having him in the dugout, and I know everyone else feels the same.”Halstead screamed out in pain and was attended to by training staff before being helped onto a cart and taken off the field. IU Coach Tracy Smith said you could hear a pin drop in the dugout, and Hart echoed him.“I walked into (the dugout) and it was like a morgue,” Hart said.Junior Luke Harrison closed out the game in Halstead’s place. Hart said that Harrison was running down to the bullpen to warm up when Halstead went down but Smith yelled at him to warm up on the field.“That was unbelievable,” Hart said. “That’s what we got on this team, a bunch of competitors.” Hart started on the mound for IU, and went seven innings, giving up no runs on four hits with three strikeouts.“My curveball was working a lot better than usual,” Hart said. “Usually I’m more fastball changeup — changeup wasn’t there. That was not my best today. Usually I don’t walk people, I don’t know why I’ve been doing that this year, I have some things to work on these next couple days.” He was matched by Xavier’s starting pitcher Trent Astle who went five scoreless innings and gave up just two hits, striking out two.In order to play the game, the Hoosiers and the grounds crew staff had to shovel off loads of snow. Smith stressed the importance of this game by talking about Xavier’s high seating in the national Ratings Percentage Index, and that this was an important game to play for numerous reasons.“This was a game we needed to play,” Smith said. “Not just because you want to play because you’re a competitor, but implications of RPI.”Smith says he was proud of the way the team got ready for the game, but also voiced his displeasure with the offense.“Frustrating is an understatement,” Smith said. “It’s tough. The competitive part of you wants to say we’ve got to be so much better than that, but the reality of it is it’s 20-something degrees outside, and tough hitting conditions.”
(03/05/14 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Today IU baseball will play Xavier (5-3) in their home opener at 4:05 p.m.The No. 17 Hoosiers improved to 4-5 this past weekend after knocking off Toledo and then-No. 20 Louisville. IU was led by junior catcher Kyle Schwarber who batted leadoff for the first time in his career.“I liked it,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “I thought it brought a little more flexibility to our lineup.”IU will start junior left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart against the Musketeers. Hart is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA this season. He pitched the ninth inning on Saturday against Toledo, sealing the win.Smith said the idea behind using Hart against Toledo was just to get him in a game since there were only two games during the weekend.“Reading all the weather reports back home, we’re not really sure if we’re going to get Wednesday’s game in,” Smith said. “So it was an opportunity to get our pitcher some work.”Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Eric Stiene will take the mound for Xavier. It will be his first start of the season. He has pitched six innings this year and has yet to give up a run while holding batters to a .158 average.Xavier has also beaten Toldeo this season and has a notable win against No. 21 North Carolina. The team beat Dayton 16-1 on Saturday.Smith said it’s important for them to get out to a lead early like they did Saturday.“We haven’t had that luxury,” Smith said. “We’ve been chasing most of the time, so your pitchers are going to throw differently when they have a lead.”IU is led by Schwarber, who is batting .342 with one home run, six RBIs, three doubles and two triples. Junior first baseman Sam Travis is batting .278 with seven RBIs, three extra-base hits and three steals.Senior third baseman Dustin DeMuth, who was drafted in the eighth round by the Minnesota Twins last summer but came back to school, was out Saturday dealing with a hamstring injury. Smith said he is day-to-day.The Musketeers are coached by Scott Googins, who is in his ninth year at the helm. He is 235-236 at Xavier.Xavier is led by senior left fielder Vinny Nittoli, who is batting .360 with two home runs and seven RBIs, and sophomore catcher Daniel Rizzie, who is batting .355 with two home runs and six RBIs.The Musketeers have eight players batting more than .300, four of which are starters. They are batting .295 as a team, good for second in the Big East Conference.Senior pitcher Joey DeNato said the Hoosiers will not overlook any opponent.“Every game is a big game for us,” DeNato said.
(03/03/14 5:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>LOUISVILLE, Ky. — From the first pitch Saturday, things went well for the IU baseball team. The No. 17 Hoosiers beat Toledo 8-3 and No. 20 Louisville 6-2 during a doubleheader in Louisville, Ky.On the first pitch of the morning, 6-foot, 240-pound junior catcher Kyle Schwarber, who played left field against Toledo, hit a deep fly ball to left field that went for a ground rule double. It was the first time Schwarber had ever led off on any team, he said, but he went a combined 4-for-7 with a double, triple, three RBIs, five runs, two walks and a hit by pitch, totaling seven appearances on base.“It was kind of a numbers move by skip,” Schwarber said. “It’s working out for us. People are getting pitches to hit now, and we are going to be more active on the bases.”IU struck early and often, getting out to a 4-0 lead against the Rockets and a 3-0 lead against the Cardinals. Starting pitcher Will Coursen-Carr improved to 1-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.94, and fellow starting pitcher Joey DeNato went to 3-0 with a .47 ERA, as the only run he allowed against Louisville was unearned.“Because of the way we started, this was a very important game for us and we treated it that way,” IU Coach Tracy Smith said. “We don’t have a lot of opportunities outside of conference to play quality ranked opponents like this.”DeNato pitched seven innings and gave up one unearned run on five hits, three walks and four strikeouts. The Hoosiers have yet to lose with him on the mound.“That’s what makes him so special,” Smith said. “He’s able to change up his pitches, he doesn’t get rattled and he just competes his rear end off.”IU ran a double steal during the ninth inning against Louisville, with junior first baseman Sam Travis on first and Schwarber on third. The Cardinals’ catcher threw to second, allowing Schwarber to slide in safely at home and give the Hoosiers their sixth run.“I don’t know if a lot of guys knew that was going on,” DeNato said. “I know the signs, so I knew it was going to happen. I was expecting it, but it definitely set the tone in that last inning for us to kind of shut it down.”Against Toledo, the Hoosiers scored first as Schwarber came in on an error during the first inning, followed by a two-run double by senior Scott Donley during the third inning. IU earned a single run during the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Nick Ramos. During the seventh inning, Schwarber tripled in Ramos, and then scored on a single by junior Casey Rodrigue. Travis then doubled Rodrigue in, and soon after scored on a sacrifice fly from freshman Craig Dedelow.During the afternoon game against Louisville, Schwarber scored on a fielder’s choice during the first inning. The Hoosiers scored twice more during the second inning thanks to a Schwarber double, and tacked on a fourth run during the third inning on a Dedelow single. Travis singled in a run in the seventh inning before the double steal took place in the ninth inning.“We needed something like this to boost our spirits up,” Schwarber said. “Play a ranked opponent like them and come out and beat them like we did last year, and it’s going to be a big confidence boost as we go on in the season.”
(02/28/14 12:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After two rough weekends in a row, the IU baseball team heads to Louisville, Ky., where it will take on the Toledo Rockets and Louisville Cardinals.The No. 17 Hoosiers team (2-5) has lost its last two games, falling to Utah in 15 innings and then No. 2 Oregon State, after beating Washington in the first game of the Big Ten-Pac-12 challenge.“What bothers me is losing,” IU Head Coach Tracy Smith said. “You hate losing. That’s been a tough part to rationalize in your mind because you look at it at the end of the day, we’re playing pretty decent baseball.”IU will get its chance to get back on track at 11 a.m. Saturday when they take on Toledo (2-3). Sophomore left-handed pitcher Will Coursen-Carr, who is 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA, will be on the mound for the Hoosiers against senior right-handed pitcher Cameron Palmer, who is 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA on the year.Coursen-Carr, who took the loss against Oregon State, has taken the role as the second starter for the Hoosiers and has impressed the coaching staff.“He has pitched well enough,” Smith said. “His stuff is some of the better stuff we have, and for him to be effective he needs to be in the zone, but, yeah, we are kind of rewarding him for what he’s done.”Smith said a team goal for the year was to host a regional game, and the way to accomplish that is by winning non-conference games.“We better not overlook the Rockets,” he said. “Last I looked Toledo is a non-conference opponent, so we don’t overlook anybody. This is a mature group.”At 2:30 p.m. Saturday IU will take on No. 20 Louisville (6-2), a team the Hoosiers took three of four from last year, including in the College World Series. Senior left-handed pitcher Joey DeNato takes the hill for IU with a 2-0 record and an ERA of .75. He will face sophomore right-hander Kyle Funkhouser, who is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA.The Hoosiers are 2-0 this season when DeNato starts, but 0-5 when someone else pitches. “He is just so competitive,” Smith said. “He controls the running game, he locates his pitches extremely well, and he competes his tail off.” Both Smith and junior catcher Kyle Schwarber said they think Louisville is one of the program’s biggest rivals.“(Louisville) is a great measuring stick,” Smith said. “They’re a very quality opponent, not just locally but on a national scene, and they’re going to be comparable if not better than a lot of the opponents we’ll face in the Big Ten.”A key player who has stepped up this season is redshirt freshman relief pitcher Jake Kelzer. Smith said he hopes he can become a solid option to go to in the middle innings to bridge the gap to the back end of the bullpen and should make an appearance again this weekend.Originally a two-sport athlete, Kelzer dropped swimming to focus on baseball, saying it was too hard to do two collegiate sports.“I feel like all the training that I’ve done up to this point has put me in a good spot,” Kelzer said. “Our pitching coach has really put me in a good position and taught me a lot.”The Hoosier’s offense hasn’t gotten to the point they would like yet, as nobody is batting over .300, but Schwarber said he isn’t worried yet.“We just really need to stick with our plan,” Schwarber said. “It’s tough, but we’ll push through it, relax and play Indiana baseball. Luckily, it’s the beginning of the year that these things are happening.”@AndrewVcourt
(12/12/13 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly walked off the volleyball court from her final IU game on Nov. 29, a crimson No. 2 on her front and back and a brace on her left knee.As she walked back to the locker room, feelings of disbelief and sadness swept over her as the shock of her career ending started to hit her. She didn’t want to leave the sense of family shared with team members. It was the end of a long journey for the 24-year-old from Cherry Valley, Ill., who attended Rockford Keith Country Day High School.She walked off the court as one of the greatest volleyball players to have ever attended IU, becoming the first player in school history to have more than 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs. She finished third all-time in kills with 1,666, eighth all-time in digs with 1,034 and sixth all-time in service aces with 127. “It’s an honor to just look back on it and know that I had an impact on the program and helped move the program forward,” Haverly said. “It’s just an honor to be in the record books with those people that have played before me and to leave a legacy for myself and reach goals I had set for myself as a freshman.”In high school, she was named a 2008 AVCA High School Senior All-America player while leading her school to a 37-5 record and a Class 1A state runner-up finish. In her senior season alone, she had 610 kills, 203 digs, 71 blocks and 101 aces. She compiled 1,671 kills in her four years, which ranks her second all-time in Illinois Class 1A. She also was a captain all four years. In college, Haverly was an integral part of the 2010 IU Sweet 16 team. She lead the team in kills over All-American Ashley Benson and was looking forward to an even better year in 2011 that would potentially see her become an All-American, too. However, during a tournament in April 2011, fate took a bad turn.As soon as her leg hit the ground, she collapsed. Her knee and shin pointed in opposite directions.She heard her knee pop and immediately started calling for the trainers. She couldn’t move and said the trainer’s name over and over. She didn’t cry out. She was on the verge of tears as the pain seared through her knee.Even when the trainers rolled her over and tried to talk to her, she told them to stop touching her.“I came down on one leg,” Haverly said, “and basically tore everything in my knee.”She had torn her ACL and meniscus while going for a kill and has needed four surgeries so far to fix the damage — which included wearing through the cartilage in her knee — with a fifth to come this month. It forced her to miss the entire season, and she was placed under a medical redshirt.As the No. 20 high school recruit in the nation, Haverly originally committed to Nebraska, but changed her mind three days before the start of the season. She said after a few weeks she started to feel unhappy and talked with some of her family members about the situation. They determined it wasn’t homesickness.“There wasn’t one thing that happened that made me say, ‘That’s it, I’m leaving,’” she said. “Overall, it just had a really weird feeling. I wasn’t happy, and I was stressed out and miserable the whole time. It just wasn’t the right place.” She spent the year taking classes at a local junior college while she continued to train on her own.“I went out there for the summer and did all of the preseason, and then I decided that it wasn’t the right fit for me,” Haverly said. “I left literally three days before the season started and went home. That’s when I started visiting schools again to see where I was going to go.”IU coaches got in touch with Haverly through her club coach, and after narrowing her search to Northwestern and IU, she committed to becoming a Hoosier.“I remember the day she called, and I believe it was over Christmas, because I was at home in Tennessee,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “That was pretty much right after I got here to Indiana, so that was a huge get. It was huge for our program to have her commit to IU.”After a long physical rehabilitation process, during which Haverly struggled to stay mentally engaged and get excited while her teammates practiced, Haverly was able to bounce back. She was a different player, with less quickness and agility than before, but she was able to adapt and become a smarter player.“I think it made her appreciate the game even more,” Dunbar said. “Coming back and not really ever getting back to being that player that she was beforehand, but finding other ways to contribute, that’s tough. She has the best IQ of volleyball on our team. She’s always been a very smart player.”Having sat out two years, Haverly was older than the seniors from her junior year — a year in which she was named a captain. This sparked the team’s decision to call her “Grandma” and poke fun at her age. The trend continued into this season, in which she was two years older than the other three seniors, but she took it all in good fun.“It’s interesting. I feel like a mom a lot of the time,” Haverly said. “But it’s fun. Everybody calls me Grandma, but I’m used to it. It’s a funny running joke that we have, because I’m pretty sure I’m one of the oldest volleyball players in the NCAA right now. I like being able to help everybody out and use the knowledge that I have from being here and around the sport for so long. I laugh at it because it is funny. There are days where I’m sore and I literally look like an old lady compared to everybody else.”With her college career over, Haverly has new dreams and aspirations. She is getting her master’s degree in recreational therapy in May to go along with her bachelor’s degree in exercise scienceand hopes to pursue a short career in professional volleyball in Europe before returning to the NCAA as a coach.“It’s probably not the best for me to do that, but depending how my MRI looks, you never know, I might be able to convince the doctors to let me have one year,” Haverly said. “If the opportunity is there and I get the clear from the doctors, I would definitely go play.”In her time at IU, Haverly has affected the volleyball program not just through her accolades and records, but as a person. Her legacy is now embedded in the record books, as well as the players that will return.“She is such a mom,” Dunbar said. “The memories I have of her are the maturity she brought to the program, how she always took people under her wing individually and how we’d try to get other players to do things the right way because Jordan did them that way.”
(12/05/13 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a season with more downs than ups for the IU volleyball team, but players and coaches said the team improved from last year despite the record (9-22 overall, 1-19 conference).“It was definitely a building year,” senior captain and libero Caitlin Hansen said. “We learned a lot. We took a step forward. I don’t think our record defines us.”The Hoosiers started the year 8-1 before falling to Duke and North Carolina, who finished the year ranked No. 14 and No. 15, respectively, to close out non-conference play. From then on, the team won only one more match. The lone win came against Michigan State — No. 10 at the time — in East Lansing, Mich. “Our goal was to make the NCAA tournament, and when we started, we were 100 miles away,” IU Assistant Coach Paul Koncir said. “Now we’re five points away.”The win against the Spartans came between losing streaks of 11 and then 10 to close out the year. Although the year did not go as planned, the seniors said they still cherished their final season in IU uniforms.“It was bittersweet,” senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said. “My body obviously is ready for me to be done with volleyball, but my mind isn’t. It’s sad, but I can look back and I have a ton of awesome memories.“The senior class that just graduated, we’ve done so much. We’ve been from the highest high to the lowest low for the program. Hopefully how we approached everything helped all the other girls grow and hopefully do better next year.”Haverly has had five knee surgeries during the course of her IU career, and she became the first player in school history to have 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs, finishing with 1,654 and 1,023, respectively.This put her third all-time in IU history in kills and ninth all-time in digs. She also finished sixth in school history in service aces with 127.“I think overall my career here was an amazing one. I had an amazing time,” Haverly said. “Everything that I did I wanted to do for the program. I just wanted to come in and make the program better.“I wouldn’t really change anything. I don’t even think I would change my injury. Being injured made me learn a lot of lessons that I think helped me become a better person and a better player in certain aspects.”Haverly was not the only one to etch her name in the record books this year.Hansen finished her career with 1,248 digs, putting her fifth all-time in IU history in that category.“It was surreal,” Hansen said. “It still hasn’t hit me yet that I won’t be suiting up to play again. I soaked it all in, and I wanted to make sure that I left my mark and left a legacy, whether it was for hard work or a positive attitude.“I think I improved every year on a gradual incline. It also definitely changed my personality. When I got here I was shy, but volleyball has taught me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve grown as a person and a player, and my last year was my best year yet.”The Hoosiers had six matches go to five sets on the year, falling in each one. This was an improvement on last year when they only reached a fifth set three times.Koncir said expectations for the team will be high next year.“(Sophomore) Amelia Anderson has completely taken off,” Koncir said. “Morgan Leach has really shown her stride as a dominant Big Ten player.“Our young centers got a lot of experience. We started a number of freshman this year, so I think our young players really came a long way.” Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(12/02/13 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After falling Friday to No. 23 Michigan, the IU volleyball team finished the season on a 10-match losing streak, a 9-22 overall record and a 1-19 record in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers closed out the year with four straight home matches, falling to Iowa in five sets, No. 6 Nebraska in three sets, No. 20 Purdue in three sets on senior night, and then to Michigan in four sets.Against Iowa (11-20, 2-18) senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly led the team in kills with 13, senior captain and libero Caitlin Hansen had a team high 22 digs, and freshman setter Megan Tallman had 30 assists. The match went to five sets (25-16, 25-20, 23-25, 14-25, 15-10), the fifth time the Hoosiers went to five this season, before losing.Last Saturday, Nebraska (23-6, 16-4) came to Bloomington, where they dispatched IU in three sets (25-22, 25-21, 25-11).IU was led by Haverly and sophomore middle blocker Awele Nwaeze who each had nine kills. Freshman defensive specialist Taylor Lebo had 11 digs, and Tallman had 17 assists.On Wednesday, rival Purdue (20-11, 11-9) visited IU on senior night. The Boilermakers won in straight sets (25-17, 25-22, 25-19).The Hoosiers were led by junior outside hitter Morgan Leach with 12 kills. Hansen had a team high 15 digs, and Tallman had 22 assists.The last match against Purdue didn’t quite go how the seniors wanted it.“We really just wanted to go out and play together and have fun and enjoy it in those last matches with the 2013 team,” Haverly said. “We tried to show everybody that we have made improvements in everything. Obviously it didn’t end how we wanted it to, but we went out and fought really hard.”The season ended with Friday’s loss to Michigan (17-12, 8-12). The Wolverines won (25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20) in a tightly contested match.IU was led by sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson with 17 kills, and was helped by Leach with 13 and Haverly with 11. Hansen led the team in digs with 15, and sophomore setter Katie Gallagher led the team in assists with 29.The team will not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but players said they improved from last year.“Overall we got a lot better as a team,” Haverly said. “We made a lot of strides, it was a tough season, but I think it will make the program better in the future.”It was also the last time Haverly, Hansen, outside hitter Jade Henderson, and defensive specialist Melanie Hicks will suit up for the Hoosiers.“I think overall my career here was an amazing one, I had an amazing time,” Haverly said. “Everything that I did I wanted to do for the program. I wouldn’t really change anything; I don’t even think I would change my injury. Being injured made me learn a lot of lessons that I think helped me become a better person and a better player in certain aspects.”Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/22/13 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>To close a season that has not produced as many wins as the coaching staff and team wanted, the IU volleyball team will face Iowa, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 25 Purdue and No. 18 Michigan during the next week.“After the Northwestern match, we looked around the room and looked at how many freshmen and sophomores there are on the team,” IU Assistant Coach Paul Koncir said. “They have to learn how to get to this point. They have to keep getting the mindset. They have to keep getting in position to win games and matches. The more we do that, the more they’ll become comfortable and the more they get to that level we need.”The Hoosiers (9-18, 1-15), who are on a six-match losing streak, are led by junior middle blocker Morgan Leach, who has a team high 270 kills. She is followed by senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, who has 238 kills and 186 digs. She became the first player in school history to have 1,500 kills and 1,000 digs in her career Sunday. Sophomore middle blocker Awele Nwaeze has 225 kills, and sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson has 224. Senior captain and libero Caitlin Hansen leads the team in digs with 370, and freshman setter Megan Tallman leads the Hoosiers in assists with 593.“I think we’ll go out there and play with heart,” Hansen said. “We have only four games left and five practices. There’s nothing to lose at this point. It’s not even so much your record. It’s playing for pride and playing for each other. It’s one of the last few times we’re all on the court together.”Iowa (10-18, 1-15), comes to town Friday led by junior Alex Lovell, who has 362 kills. They have lost eight straight matches dating back to their last match against the Hoosiers when they won in five sets.“I think we are definitely due in a five setter,” Hansen said. “We’ve been fighting so hard. It has just been coming down to the last few points.”On Saturday, IU plays host to No. 6 Nebraska (21-4, 14-2) who is riding an eight-match win streak. Senior Kelsey Robinson leads the Cornhuskers in both kills and digs with 428 and 322, respectively. “Nebraska has been a tough matchup for everyone right now,” Koncir said. “I kind of expect them to play very well. That will be very difficult. We are going to give them a fight. We’ll play hard, and I think the good thing about our league is that on any given night, anything can happen.”Wednesday is senior night, and rival No. 25 Purdue (16-11, 7-9) will be here. They are on a four-match losing streak and are led by junior Val Nichol, who has 272 kills and 184 digs.Friday will be the last match of the season for IU when they take on No. 18 Michigan (17-10, 7-9). The Wolverines are led by senior Lexi Erwin, who has 324 kills and 226 digs.“It’s going to be my last time of being able to put my jersey on,” Hansen said. “(I’m looking forward to) being next to some girls I’ve been through so much together with, and they’ve had my back, and the support system I’ll never experience again, but I’ll just go out there on my home court, right where I started and put so much work in. All the girls have. But just to go out there and put the Hoosier uniform on one last time and play with everything I have.” Follow volleyball reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/18/13 4:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the last road trip of the season, the IU volleyball team lost to No. 25 Illinois and Northwestern. On Friday, the Hoosiers (9-18, 1-15) fell in three sets to the Fighting Illini (28-26, 25-18, 25-22) and on Sunday fell to the Wildcats in five sets (25-16, 25-27, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10).Despite the losses this weekend, IU senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly became the first player in IU history to hit 1,500 kills and have 1,000 digs. She set the mark during the match against Northwestern.“It’s really cool for me,” Haverly said. “It’s a perfect way to end our last away game as seniors and reach that milestone. Just to know that I’ve been able to do that much for the program is really inspiring.”In what IU Coach Sherry Dunbar called a much better weekend, the Hoosiers were able to keep each match close and had that energy that Dunbar was looking for after it wasn’t there last week.“It was a totally different weekend,” Dunbar said. “We fought hard the entire weekend against two really good opponents. Northwestern beat Purdue handily the night before, and Illinois is a really hot team right now. But I think our youth kind of showed in that fifth set. We didn’t play like we did in the third and fourth set, which was a little disappointing.”Illinois (14-12, 10-6) was able to close out each set against the Hoosiers despite the fight the Hoosiers showed. They were led by juniors Morgan Criswell and Liz McMahon, who each had 13 kills. Sophomore Alexis Viliunas led the Illini with 14 digs and led them in assists with 33.“Illinois played really well for their home crowd and were really consistent,” Haverly said. “Their outsides hit really well against us.”IU was led by sophomore middle blocker Awele Nwaeze, who had 11 kills. Senior captain and libero Caitlin Hansen led the team in digs with 21, and sophomore setter Katie Gallagher, who was back in action for the first time suffering a concussion in practice a few weeks ago, led the Hoosier in assists with 16.On Sunday, Northwestern (16-12, 8-8) was able to hold on in five sets, just as they did the first time they played the Hoosiers. They were led by junior Monica McGreal, who had 21 kills, and senior All-American Stephanie Holthus added 15 kills and 15 digs. The Wildcats were led in digs by sophomore Caroline Niedospial, who had 20, and were led in assists by freshman setter Caleigh Ryan with 59.IU was led by sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson, who had 20 kills, while junior middle blocker Morgan Leach added 16. Hansen led the team in digs with 20, and freshman setter Megan Tallman led IU in assists with 36. Haverly, in route to her record setting performance, had 11 kills and 19 digs.“Jordan has been a really good role model to me,” Anderson said.Coach Dunbar echoed Anderson’s feelings on Haverly’s importance to the program.“Well, she’s old,” Dunbar said. “We always kid her about that. She’s 24 years old. She has a lot of experience under her belt, and she uses that experience. She is not the same athlete she was with all the injuries, but she is a probably a smarter player than she was.”Follow volleyball reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/15/13 3:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After losses on the road last week at Ohio State and Penn State, the IU volleyball team will look to get back on track this weekend when it travels to Illinois and Northwestern.“They have to be checked in right now; if they’re checked out, then we’re not really going anywhere,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “We talked a lot about understanding the big picture of playing here, and it’s not acceptable to not be checked in every day. "These seniors have put in a lot of effort into this program over four years, and they deserve that.”IU (9-16, 1-13) will take on No. 25 Illinois (12-12, 8-6) Friday. Illinois, according to Dunbar, may be the hottest team in the Big Ten right now, as it has won its last three matches.“They’ve been on a really big roll lately,” Dunbar said. “They’re very tough to beat at home. They have a great student section, and a great crowd, and it’s always tough to play there.”Both Dunbar and several players also mentioned that the Illinois offense is a fairly basic style and easier to prepare for strategically, but it is a very good offense.“It’s much easier to read, but defending it is a whole different story,” Dunbar said.The Fighting Illini are led by sophomore Jocelynn Birks with 369 kills and 210 digs. They are led in digs by senior Jennifer Beltran with 392. Sophomore Alexis Vilunas leads Illinois in assists with 916 and also has 235 digs.“Both teams have had great seasons,” IU senior libero and captain Caitlin Hansen said. “I think Illinois, our strategy can match up with their strategy. Northwestern, we match up better physically.”Northwestern (14-12, 6-8) will play host to IU Sunday afternoon. The last time these two teams met, the Wildcats came out with a victory in five sets.“Especially with Northwestern, after the tough loss the first time we went to five, we really wanted to come back and prove that we were meant to win that game,” IU sophomore middle blocker Awele Nwaeze said. “I feel like the key to winning is focusing on our team. Stay settled and communicate and focus on our game plan.”Northwestern is led by senior Stephanie Holthus who has 419 kills and 278 digs. Sophomore Caroline Neidospial is the team leader in digs with 448, and freshman Caleigh Ryan leads the Wildcats in assists with 1,068.“Stephanie Holthus from Northwestern is a senior, their only senior, and is one of the best outside hitters in the country,” Dunbar said.This will also be IU’s first game since it officially signed recruit Jessica Leish, an outside hitter from Wyoming High School in Ohio, on signing day this past Wednesday.“6-foot-2, six rotation player, just a great all-around kid,” Dunbar said. “She’s a direct admit to the Kelley School of Business, so obviously very smart. (She’s) just a really fluid kind of athlete and has the size that we want on a pin. She is someone that is very determined and is super excited about coming to Indiana.”Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/11/13 4:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When asked how she felt about her team’s performance over the weekend, IU volleyball Coach Sherry Dunbar was very straightforward.“Probably one of the worst weekends of the season,” she said. “I was very disappointed in the Ohio State match. I was disappointed in our fight and how we came out in that match and didn’t really battle.”On Friday, the Hoosiers (9-16, 1-13) took on an Ohio State team (16-10, 4-10) that had not won a match since Oct. 5, when it last played IU.The Buckeyes won the match in three sets (25-19, 25-18, 25-20). “Ohio State came out really hungry for a win,” IU senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said. “They executed their game plan against us really well.”IU was led by junior middle blocker Morgan Leach and sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson, who each had seven kills.Senior captain and libero Caitlin Hansen led the team in digs with eight, while freshman defensive specialist Taylor Lebo had seven.Freshman setter Megan Tallman had a team high 30 assists for the Hoosiers.“I thought our serve receive was pretty good,” Leach said. “It was great to come into an environment that is different than our gym and still be able to attack teams with our serving.”Ohio State was led by senior Kaitlyn Leary, who had 19 kills, and was aided by freshman Taylor Sandbothe, who had 14 kills.Senior Julia Mandolfo led the Buckeyes in digs with eight and also had four aces.Junior Taylor Sherwin had 30 assists for Ohio State.On Saturday, IU faced off against No. 2 Penn State (22-2, 13-1). The Nittany Lions swept the Hoosiers (25-16, 25-12, 25-11). Penn State was able to jump out to quick leads in each set, and it doomed the Hoosiers. “Penn State is the No. 2 team in the country, so obviously they are very good,” Haverly said. “It was hard for us to score, and their blocking was really effective.”Penn State totaled 15.5 blocks in the match in an area that Dunbar said the Nittany Lions excel due to their height.IU also hit a mere negative .023 in the match, totaling 28 errors to go with only 26 kills. Penn State hit .427 with 42 kills and only five errors.IU was led by Haverly, who had eight kills, while sophomore middle blocker Awele Nwaeze added six.Hansen led the squad with 13 digs, and Tallman was the assist leader with 24.Penn State was led by senior Deja McClendon, who had nine kills.Junior Micha Hancock led the team in digs and assists with eight and 24 and had three aces.“We weren’t as aggressive as we should have been,” Haverly said. “I think when we are more aggressive we actually make fewer errors because we aren’t trying to be careful and place the ball, so it seems to work out better for us. “If we could train ourselves to not think and just go for it it would help us out.”Follow reporter Andrew Vaillencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/08/13 5:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After losing two matches at home last weekend, the IU volleyball team will travel to play matches at Ohio State and No. 2 Penn State. The last time the Hoosiers faced the Nittany Lions, they were on ESPN for the first time at home, where they fell in three sets. Last time out against Ohio State, IU took it to an exciting fifth set where the Buckeyes won 17-15.“It was a match we really felt like we should have won,” IU Assistant Coach Paul Koncir said. “We look at them as a team we want to go head-to-head with all night.”Since that meeting, Ohio State (14-10, 2-10) has not just fallen out of the top 25, they haven’t won a match.“I think for both teams in that match, we look at it as a must-win,” Koncir said. “They’re a good team. They’ve got experienced players at a lot of positions that play really solidly, but I think for us it’s a better opportunity where we look at a team and say we can do this.”The Buckeyes are led by senior Kaitlyn Leary, who has 439 kills, more than double the second leading player in kills on the team. Senior Julianne Mandolfo leads Ohio State in digs with 289 and is followed by senior Davionna DiSalvatore, who has 283. Junior Taylor Sherwin leads the Buckeyes in assists with 980, accounting for roughly 86 percent of the team’s assists.“After the close five-set match at home, we just really want to come out and prove ourselves,” IU sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson said. “Attacking them at home, making them feel uncomfortable at their home court and really getting after it on our side and worrying about what we do (will be key).”On Saturday, the Hoosiers (9-14, 1-11) will have their second shot at the No. 2 Nittany Lions (20-2, 11-1). Penn State is led by senior Ariel Scott, who has 213 kills. She is followed closely by senior Deja McClendon, who has 206. Leading them in digs is junior Dominique Gonzalez with 253. Junior Micha Hancock leads the Nittany Lions in assists with 843, she also is second in the country in aces per set, hitting .72 when serving.“They’re really good, and we are really excited to play them,” IU sophomore outside hitter Chante George said. “We play in the Big Ten, and there are a lot of great teams.”IU is led by junior middle blocker Morgan Leach, who leads the Hoosiers in kills with 235 and is followed by senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, who has 205. Senior libero and captain Caitlin Hansen leads the Hoosiers in digs with 308 and is followed by Haverly, who has 159. Freshman setter Megan Tallman, who took over the starting setter position after sophomore Katie Gallagher suffered a concussion a few weeks ago in practice, leads the team in assists with 488.“From the beginning of the season until now, our defense is so much better,” Koncir said. “Especially since last year, we are so much different and better but even since the beginning of the Big Ten season.”Follow volleyball reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/04/13 3:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the second half of Big Ten play under way, the IU volleyball team fell for the second time this season to both No. 15 Wisconsin and No. 10 Minnesota.On Friday, Wisconsin came to Bloomington and knocked off IU (23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-19). “It was a real positive that we built those leads,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “Against a good team, they are going to come back on you, and you have to stay composed.”An area that the Hoosiers were able to get kills was in the middle of the court by way of tipping the ball over. It visibly frustrated the Badgers and their coaching staff.“You find kills any way you can,” IU senior libero and captain Caitlin Hansen said.IU (9-14, 1-11) was led by senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, who had 17 kills. Hansen led the team with 11 digs, and freshman setter Megan Tallman led the Hoosiers with 41 assists.Wisconsin (18-6, 7-5) was led by junior Dominique Thompson, who had 16 kills. Juniors Ellen Chapman and Deme Morales each added 12 kills. Senior Annemarie Hickey led the Badgers with 13 digs, while Morales added 11. Freshman Lauren Carlini had 53 assists for Wisconsin.On Saturday, No. 10 Minnesota (21-4, 9-3) swept IU (25-18, 25-19, 25-12). The IU coaches and players had nothing but praise for the Golden Gophers following the match.IU was led by Haverly again with 13 kills, while junior middle blocker Morgan Leach had 11. Freshman defensive specialist Taylor Lebo was the leader in digs with 10, and Tallman led in assists with 30.“Minnesota is a great team,” Dunbar said. “There are to me only a few teams in the Big Ten who are just far and above what everybody else is doing, and Minnesota is one of those teams.”“They’re one of those teams that I think will go pretty far in the tournament and will represent the Big Ten really well.”Minnesota was led by sophomore Daly Santana, who had 10 kills, while senior Tori Dixon and junior Adrianna Nora each added nine. Sophomore Lindsey Lawmaster led the Gophers with 11 digs.“I think our serve receive and defense was pretty good still, but we just need to find more ways to get kills.”Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/01/13 4:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the IU volleyball team set to take on No. 15 Wisconsin on Friday, the Indiana Daily Student talked to the Daily Cardinal’s Wisconsin volleyball beat writer, Andrew Tucker.IDS Who has been the key player for this Wisconsin team? TUCKER Junior outside hitter Ellen Chapman has been huge for Wisconsin.Not only is she the Badgers’ leader in kills per set (8th in the Big Ten), she has also been a determined, hard-working leader who has played in every match for the team. Just a side note, she has notched double-digit kills in each of the last eight matches.IDS What player or players have stepped up as leaders for the Badgers this year?TUCKER As I said before, Chapman has been a leader, but also senior libero Annemarie Hickey.She missed time earlier in the year with injury, but since coming back, she has been great, leading the team in digs per set, as well as being very vocal on the court to make sure everyone is doing their job.IDS Wisconsin is coming off of a tough loss to Illinois at home. What does Wisconsin need to do to bounce back against the Hoosiers on Friday, and what happened against the Fighting Illini?TUCKER Against the Illini, UW beat themselves.They didn’t win points to take the lead. They had costly serving errors, and they couldn’t close out Illinois in a second set that went to extra points.To bounce back, the Badgers need to capitalize on scoring opportunities and have consistency in their serving game. When they did both of those things on Sunday in the third set, they beat the Illini by 15, so it’s a strategy that has worked in the past.IDS The first time Indiana played Wisconsin, the Badgers won 3-1 in Madison, Wis. This time, the Hoosiers are the home team and are much improved. What is the key for Wisconsin to hold off IU, a team with momentum after upsetting Michigan State on the road?TUCKER Wisconsin needs to take advantage of IU’s defensive holes.The Hoosiers are last in the Big Ten in blocks, digs and opponent hitting percentage. So, if the Badgers can get in an offensive groove, they should be in good shape.IDS What were the expectations for Wisconsin coming into the season, and how have those changed now?TUCKER With mediocrity for six years in a row and a new head coach, there were few people talking about Wisconsin as a threat in the Big Ten.However, after knocking off some good teams both at home and on the road, expectations have changed. It seems like the Badgers should make it into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007, and hopes are high with those involved in the program, as well as the voters who keep moving Wisconsin up in the rankings.IDS What stands out to you about the way Wisconsin plays? TUCKER They have a “never say die” attitude. They play hard every point no matter the score, and they leave it all on the court.Generally, they are very consistent offensively and defensively.As Coach Kelly Sheffield has said, the team doesn’t have a lot of flashy athletic talent, but they win games by executing the gameplan with precision.IDS What are your thoughts on the Hoosiers?TUCKER I think that the Hoosiers are a good team, and they are a lot better than their record or stats might suggest.They are a part of the grueling Big Ten, which features seven top 25 teams, with two others receiving votes for the rankings, so they lose to some teams that are flat out amazing, high-quality opponents, whereas if they were in a different conference, they might win a lot more games.IDS What’s your prediction for Friday’s match?TUCKER I think that the Badgers have the edge because they are more hungry.The players are looking to avenge the disappointing play and loss against Illinois. That being said, IU has some momentum, and they have the benefit of a home crowd, so it’ll stay close.I predict that the Badgers will win 3-2, with no set being won by more than six for either team.Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.
(11/01/13 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coming off of its biggest win of the season, the IU volleyball team will look to extend its winning streak this weekend against Wisconsin and Minnesota. Last Saturday, the Hoosiers knocked off No. 10 Michigan State in five sets in East Lansing, Mich, breaking the team’s 11-match losing streak. It was the team’s first conference win of the season and the Hoosiers’ first victory at Michigan State since 2010. It also was the last of four consecutive road matches.“We talked about getting a breakthrough, now it’s about what we do with this breakthrough,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “We need to learn from the first half of the Big Ten season.”To kick off the second half of the Big Ten season, No. 15 Wisconsin (17-5, 6-4) travels on Friday to University Gym to take on IU (9-12, 1-9). Wisconsin is led by junior Ellen Chapman, who leads the team in kills with 288. Junior Deme Morales is second in kills with 214 and she has 212 digs. Sophomore Taylor Morey leads the Badgers in digs with 275, and senior Annmarie Hickey is second on the team with 224. Leading the team in assists is top recruit freshman Lauren Carlini, who has 739. She was Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school last year and was ranked as the No. 1 recruit by prepvolleyball.com.“We definitely go back, and I’ve already rewatched our match against Wisconsin, but you have to remember that was several weeks ago,” Dunbar said. “Then we always watch at least the last two matches they’ve played, and one of my assistants watches a few matches back from that, to look at different strategies.”On Saturday, the No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-4, 6-3) play in Bloomington. All four of their losses this season have come on the road. They are led by senior Tori Dixon, who has 303 kills and 122 digs. Senior Ashley Wittman leads the team in digs with 256. Senior Alexandra Palmer leads the Golden Gophers in assists with 763.“I think a lot of teams were probably overlooking us,” senior outside hitter and captain Jade Henderson said. “Both teams are ranked, and they are going to expect us to come out and play because we need more wins.”IU junior middle blocker Morgan Leach leads the Hoosiers with 217 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Awele Nwaeze is second with 187. Senior libero and captain Caitlin Hansen leads the Hoosiers in digs with 289, while senior outside hitter Jordan Haverly is second with 183. Freshman setter Megan Tallman is the leader in assists with 417, while sophomore setter Katie Gallagher is second with 381.The Hoosiers have a 6-4 record at home in University Gym and they will look to add another win in front of their home crowd.“We are so happy to be back home,” Henderson said. “The fan base we’ve gotten this year has helped us so much, and we feel so comfortable at our gym. We are excited to perform for our fans this weekend.”Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.