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(03/13/09 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Now is the time everyone strives for.When the track and field season began in mid-January, all the athletes competed with the ultimate goal of getting to the national championship this weekend in College Station, Texas.Nine Hoosiers have reached this goal and will compete for the right to be crowned the best in their event.IU coach Ron Helmer said getting to this point is most important.“We’ve got nine kids that have the opportunity to be All-Americans, but I don’t think we have a specific line for success,” Helmer said.The nine Hoosiers are senior Jeff Coover, seeded sixth in men’s pole vault; senior Molly Beckwith, seeded ninth in the 800-meter run; junior Vera Neuenswander, seeded 12th in women’s pole vault; senior Wendi Robinson, seeded 14th in the 5,000-meter run and freshman Derek Drouin, seeded 15th in the long jump. Also competing for the Hoosiers will be the 14th-seeded distance medley relay team.IU can score points as a team and garner an All-American award by placing in the top eight in a given event.Helmer said he doubts the Hoosiers are good enough to win a championship.“I don’t think we are at that level yet, but you never know,” he said. – By Ari Shifron
(03/04/09 5:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Eighteen All-Americans, 21 Big Ten champions and three national champions. For more than 100 years, men’s pole vault has been a highlight of the IU track and field team.IU has seen 10 men clear a height of at least 5.18 meters indoors since 1977. The record is held by former Hoosier Mark Buse, whose jump height of 5.66 meters in 1994 still ranks today. Buse won the national championship in 1993. Bryce Beecher became IU’s first national champion pole vaulter in 1932, the same year the whole team won the national championship. Two of IU’s top 10 record holders are still involved in the program today. One is volunteer coach Dave Volz, whose clearance of 5.65 meters in 1982 is second all-time in IU history. Volz won the outdoor pole vault national championship in 1981 and placed fifth at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Volz said IU’s history in pole vault has continued through the years.“IU has a steep tradition in pole vaulting,” he said. “Folks have jumped high here, and there is a reason for that, which is a combination of the right coaches and athletes.”In terms of involvement with the program, Volz said he is trying to help current IU athletes successfully follow in his footsteps.“It is fun being around young athletes and trying to help them achieve their potential,” he said. “Even as you get older, you never lose the desire for competition, so it is great to help kids today go out and be successful.”The other record-holder currently involved in the program is senior Jeff Coover, whose 5.45 meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships last weekend was fourth in IU history and made him the 2009 Big Ten Indoor Champion.Coover said he is proud to be associated with the program’s history and credited Volz for his success. “IU has a super-rich success in the pole vault,” he said. “To be a part of that is really, really cool, and to have Dave on staff has helped me a lot.”Coover also said the history behind the program is what brought him to IU from his hometown of La Jolla, Calif.“IU is a good place for pole vault, and I wanted to be a part of this university and was ready to step into a new phase of my life,” he said.In his second season with the team, IU coach Ron Helmer said the program’s history allows him to continue to recruit good athletes to the sport. “I think that you have the ability to talk with some of the best vaulters in the country because you have a history with the program,” Helmer said. “Right now I think we are doing a good job with development, so we should have a shot to continue to get good pole vaulters.”
(03/02/09 5:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sometimes improvement is as good as a win.That was the case for the men’s and women’s track and field teams this weekend. The women placed fourth with 69.5 points, up from last year’s total of 33.5. The men, meanwhile, placed sixth with 61 points, better than last year’s 35 points.Both teams placed ninth last year.IU coach Ron Helmer said he was proud of the improvement.“We weren’t very good last year,” Helmer said. “One of our goals was to get better, and to get to the 60 (points) that we did today was great progress.”Seniors Tiffany Howard and Jeff Coover scored Big Ten titles in shot put and pole vault, respectively.Howard, who won the first Big Ten Championship, said she was overanxious coming in, so calming herself was important.“I just wanted to be real calm and collected,” she said. “I had butterflies earlier, but I had to calm myself down, and I had a really good series today.”Also placing well was senior Molly Beckwith, who scored second place in the 400- and 600-meter runs. Beckwith was also a part of IU’s third-place finishing relay team.Beckwith said she was thrilled with her run because the cool down period sandwiched between the two races was short.“I was happy with my times, which were personal bests,” she said. “I was worried today about the recovery time between the four (hundred) and six (hundred), but I walked around and got myself together and was mentally there.”Winning the Big Ten titles for both the men and the women was Minnesota. The Golden Gopher men’s team scored 135 points, 42 better than second-place Michigan.The Minnesota women’s team had it a bit tougher, scoring 129 points to edge out the Wolverines, who scored 125.Helmer said the team did as well as could be asked, given the nature of the competition. The teams will have three months to prepare for the NCAA championships in June.“We beat everybody we could beat, which is always our goal,” he said, “and it represents great progress.”
(03/02/09 5:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sometimes improvement is as good as a win.That was the case for the men’s and women’s track and field teams this weekend. The women placed fourth with 69.5 points, up from last year’s total of 33.5. The men, meanwhile, placed sixth with 61 points, better than last year’s 35 points.Both teams placed ninth last year.IU coach Ron Helmer said he was proud of the improvement.“We weren’t very good last year,” Helmer said. “One of our goals was to get better, and to get to the 60 (points) that we did today was great progress.”Seniors Tiffany Howard and Jeff Coover scored Big Ten titles in shot put and pole vault, respectively.Howard, who won the first Big Ten Championship, said she was overanxious coming in, so calming herself was important.“I just wanted to be real calm and collected,” she said. “I had butterflies earlier, but I had to calm myself down, and I had a really good series today.”Also placing well was senior Molly Beckwith, who scored second place in the 400- and 600-meter runs. Beckwith was also a part of IU’s third-place finishing relay team.Beckwith said she was thrilled with her run because the cool down period sandwiched between the two races was short.“I was happy with my times, which were personal bests,” she said. “I was worried today about the recovery time between the four (hundred) and six (hundred), but I walked around and got myself together and was mentally there.”Winning the Big Ten titles for both the men and the women was Minnesota. The Golden Gopher men’s team scored 135 points, 42 better than second-place Michigan.The Minnesota women’s team had it a bit tougher, scoring 129 points to edge out the Wolverines, who scored 125.Helmer said the team did as well as could be asked, given the nature of the competition. The teams will have three months to prepare for the NCAA championships in June.“We beat everybody we could beat, which is always our goal,” he said, “and it represents great progress.”
(02/18/09 5:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The life of a college athlete has turns for better and for worse. This is the case for junior pole vaulter Vera Neuenswander, who is having a strong season after struggling somewhat last year, whose troubles came after a career season her freshman year. Born in Jefferson City, Mo., Neuenswander started in gymnastics, following in the footsteps of her father, who was a Big Ten gymnast at Michigan. She then switched to pole vault after her brother was a track athlete in high school.But Neuenswander had another reason for switching.“I wanted to try track and field in middle school when we were offered it as a sport,” she said. “Also, pole vault is a lot like gymnastics, so I tried it out and had a lot of success with it.” Fast-forward to her senior year of high school. Neuenswander was lured to IU by assistant coach and pole vault coach Jake Wiseman.Wiseman said he had specific reasons for recruiting her to IU.“She was a three-time state champion and a good vaulter out of high school,” he said. “She had been successful at a high level before, and that was one of the things we were really interested in.”Neuenswander said she picked IU over other Big Ten schools for several reasons.“I liked the idea of IU being in a smaller town,” she said. “When I came here it was just beautiful, and I have two of the best coaches in the country here.”After coming to Bloomington, she had instant success winning the Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year Award as well as setting an IU record for the best vault in the program’s history. Things then became difficult her sophomore year as Neuenswander struggled with inconsistency and a neck injury and had to watch as her all-time Hoosier record was broken by sophomore Stephanie Chin. IU coach Ron Helmer said rough patches are a normal part of sports, and how one responds to them defines how good he or she is.“Everyone has them and will revert back to a lesser performance at some point,” he said. “Whether someone will truly be a great athlete pretty much depends on dealing with it.” Now in her junior year, Neuenswander has proved she is that “great athlete” by getting back on top of her game. She reset the all-time IU record on Jan. 23 at the Gladstein Invitational and has already cleared the automatic qualifying mark for the Indoor Track and Field Championships. She has also won the pole vault in two of the first six meets this season and finished in the top three in the others. Neuenswander said she came out with a new attitude this year and it has paid off. “I was not particularly happy with my sophomore performance, so I refocused,” she said. “I worked really hard this summer and came out with a new mindset and decided this year was going to be about competing hard, and it paid off.”
(01/27/09 4:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>To some, being a student is much more important than being an athlete. This is the case for twins Courtney and Britney Freiberger, seniors on the IU women’s track and field team who were accepted into the physical therapy graduate program at Northwestern. The program is ranked as one of the top schools in the country for the specialty.Courtney said she came to IU with only academics in mind and never sought to make a career out of track and field.“I always put school first and came to college to get my education,” she said. “I never wanted to be a professional athlete, but track and field was a tremendous opportunity and it allows you to get a good education as well.” Academically, Northwestern’s Physical Therapy school was ranked as a “Best Graduate School” by US News and World Report.Britney said she was speechless when told she had gotten into the program since she puts her schoolwork above all else as well.“I was shaky and excited to know my hard work paid off,” she said. “I consider myself a student more than an athlete, and academics always come first.”Born in Floyd Knobs, Ind., the twins have done everything together their whole lives – they live together at IU and have all of the same friends. The only major difference between the two is Britney runs hurdles while Courtney runs multiple events.IU coach Ron Helmer had a hard time individualizing the two, and said it isn’t easy to do when they live such similar lives.“It is hard to be twins,” Helmer said. “They go to the same school, and they are involved in the same sport, and now they are going to the same grad school.”In terms of personality differences, both twins agree Courtney is more outgoing than her sister. They also agreed they will be lucky to have each other at school together when in the unfamiliar surroundings of a big city like Chicago.From an academic standpoint, Britney and Courtney are hardly the first athletes to be successful students at IU. The school boasted 83 athletes who were academic All-Big Ten last year. More specifically, IU had eight female athletes honored as All-Academic honorees in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Associations.That doesn’t mean Britney’s and Courtney’s accomplishments are any less important, said Korinth Patterson, their academic adviser, who described the twins as special people when it comes to taking school seriously.“It has been great to advise Courtney and Britney the past four years, and they are a pleasure to work with,” Patterson said. “They both came in their freshman year and had excellent scholarships and understood the demands of being a Division I athlete as well as pursuing a degree at Indiana University at the same time.”
(01/20/09 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The high jump bar wasn’t too high for the Hoosiers to be successful this weekend. Both Ashley Rhoades and Derek Drouin provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in February with jumps of 1.79 and 2.15 meters, respectively. For Rhoades, it was the second-best jump in IU history. Rhodes said afterward she was doing what she had to do to win. “Everything was clicking coming in, and I knew what I had to do,” she said. “I stayed focused and did what I know how to do.” Overall the Hoosiers won 10 events at the Indiana Invitational, which they hosted. Vera Neuenswander and Tiffany Howard also recorded provisional qualifications, Neuenswander in the pole vault and Howard in the shot put. IU returns to action next weekend when it hosts its third consecutive home meet with the Gladstein Invitational.IU coach Ron Helmer said longer breaks between events at the invitational should offset what promises to be a higher-quality field. “The meet should be more competitive, but we will be more rested since there is more time in between each race,” Helmer said.
(12/05/08 5:09pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team made a 179-degree turn in two years under Coach Sherry Dunbar.The only last degree left to 180 is to make postseason play. That might be coming in the not too distant future as Dunbar took a team that had a combined five Big Ten wins between 2004 and 2006 and got them nine Big Ten wins in 2008. Not making postseason play was the only negative thing that happened to the team this year. This was a goal which many on the team thought they would accomplish, given the fact they finished in sixth place in the conference and the Big Ten had at least six representatives in tournament play every year since 1998. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wittmer said the team members were upset they did not get in but had no say in the matter. “We were really disappointed about (not getting in), obviously,” Wittmer said. “Though, you cannot control what the committee says.”Despite missing the tournament, IU had many positives this season.Positives like a 17-15 record, the first winning season for the team since 2002, and wins against two ranked conference opponents – then-No. 13 Minnesota and then-No. 21 Wisconsin – also the first time since 2002.Dunbar said the season as a whole was a success, and she looks for even more success in the future.“Looking at the whole picture of what we did was important and it set the foundation for years to come,” she said. “We need to build on that and move on to bigger and better things.”Individual highlights include senior defensive specialist Juli Pierce becoming the all-time digs leader and senior middle blocker Erica Short becoming the all-time kills leader. These two players’ skills are going to have to be compensated for if IU is going to continue improving as a program. Two ways this might happen is through recruiting – the team has two High School All-Americans recruited for next year – and IU’s other returning players making contributions.One of these may be junior Kelsey Hall, who finished fourth on the team in kills this season despite missing eight matches early in the year due to injury.Hall said the future looks bright for the team, and they will be even better next year. “We are excited for the freshmen coming in, and we are a team on the upswing,” she said. “We will finish fifth or higher next year (in the Big Ten) and go to the NCAA Tournament.”
(11/24/08 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The 2004-06 seasons saw five combined Big Ten wins for the IU volleyball team. The 2007 season saw an improvement with six Big Ten wins. Now in 2008, in IU coach Sherry Dunbar’s second year, IU sits at eight wins and in NCAA Tournament contention with a week to go in the season.Thanks to two huge 3-1 victories on senior weekend against Wisconsin and Northwestern, IU sits at 8-10 in the Big Ten and possibly in the driver’s seat for a berth to postseason play.Friday’s match was critical for the Hoosiers’ NCAA prospects as the Badgers were in sixth place, one game ahead of the Hoosiers in the Big Ten standings. IU responded by setting the tone for the entire match, winning 25-23, 25-19, 17-25 and 25-18. Senior middle blocker Erica Short said the Hoosiers competed hard. “(Wisconsin) is a great team,” Short said. “We came out to play and stepped up and knew we could do it.” On Saturday the Hoosiers got off to a slow start against the 2-16 Wildcats and lost the first set 25-20. The second set came down to the wire as IU nearly blew a 24-20 lead before ultimately prevailing 27-25 and squaring the match at one set apiece. The Hoosiers came out a different team in the second half and won the third set in dominating fashion 25-18. Dunbar said she tried to motivate the Hoosiers at intermission after their lackluster play in the first stanza. “I got after them pretty good in the locker room,” she said. “I don’t usually yell too much, but I felt we were not playing to our ability.”IU continued its strong play in the fourth and decisive set and won 25-20. Senior defensive specialist Juli Pierce said IU’s play improved throughout the match.“I think we weren’t playing up to our standards in the first two games,” Piece said. “We came out in the third game, though, knowing it was do or die, so we had to put it all on the court.”The Hoosiers close the Big Ten season when they return to action next weekend on the road, facing two more must-win games against Michigan and Ohio State. The No. 20 Wolverines sit at 11-7 while the Buckeyes have struggled to a 3-12 Big Ten record. Dunbar said the season is on the line next weekend, and the Hoosiers must respond accordingly.“It is the last weekend, and we are going to have to play hard,” she said. “The team is going to have to find it within themselves to be able to play two hard matches since they mean so much, and hopefully the adrenaline will help.”
(11/17/08 5:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>WEST LAFAYETTE – Postseason is still four games away, but the Hoosiers are now playing elimination games in the regular season.Sitting at 6-10 in the Big Ten after being swept during the weekend by rivals Purdue and Illinois, IU now needs a win in every one of its remaining matches down the stretch if the team hopes to make the NCAA tournament. Friday night featured a hard-fought 3-2 loss to No. 18 Purdue in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd – a portion of which was Hoosier fans – at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility in West Lafayette.IU coach Sherry Dunbar said although her team lost, it competed hard. “I am disappointed we didn’t win, but I thought we played with a lot of heart and pride,” she said. Freshman middle blocker Lexie Woodson said she also thought the Hoosiers played strong and said the match serves as a learning experience for future games. “I thought we came out really tough and fought hard, but we didn’t pull it out,” Woodson said. “This (match) teaches us to keep fighting and fighting since (Purdue) is a good ranked team.” In terms of each set individually, Purdue won the first set 25-21 before the Hoosiers dominated the second, winning 25-13. With the match squared at 1-1, Purdue pulled away for a 25-19 win in the third set before IU fought back to win 25-22 in the fourth. In the fifth and decisive set, IU trailed 14-10 before fighting back and taking two straight points. With the Hoosiers trailing 14-12, defensive specialist Caitlin Cox was serving to try to bring the Hoosiers even closer. However, before the point had a chance to play out, the match ended when Cox served the ball long and out of bounds. Cox made no excuses for the mishap after the match, despite being a first-year player.“Although I am a freshman, I expect myself to do well in pressure situations and not serve the ball out of bounds on match point,” she said. On Saturday night, the Hoosiers competed against No. 17 Illinois and lost 25-19 in all three sets.After the losses, the Hoosiers will need to win out if they hope to finish at 10-10 and make postseason play. The matchups are next weekend at home against Wisconsin and Northwestern, then at Michigan and Ohio State the following weekend.All four games are return matches against opponents the Hoosiers have already faced this year. Against Wisconsin, IU went to Madison, Wis., and upset the then-No. 21 Badgers in four games. The Hoosiers also took care of the Wildcats and Buckeyes, who currently sit at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. That leaves the Wolverines, who, at least on paper, would appear to be the toughest remaining game, as they are currently ranked No. 19 and swept the Hoosiers in Bloomington earlier this year.The first of the remaining matches takes place 7 p.m. Friday against the Badgers. Those unable to be in attendance can watch the game live at www.iuhoosiers.com.
(11/10/08 5:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What appeared to be a winnable match in the IU volleyball team’s quest to make the NCAA Tournament turned out to be anything but Saturday.On paper, Michigan State appeared to be one of the easier matches the Hoosiers had left, as the Spartans came in with a 4-9 Big Ten record and losers of seven of their last eight games. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, came in as winners of four out of their five previous matches, putting themselves back into postseason contention.However, Michigan State decided on Saturday night it would be to their advantage to throw out previous results and play out the match on the court instead. Doing just that, the Spartans dominated the Hoosiers, winning in all major statistical category along the way and taking the match 3-1.To be exact, no category was statistically close, as Michigan State out-killed IU 62-44, out-dug them 42-33 and had more total points by a final count of 76-51.IU assistant coach Keith Schunzel said Michigan State took control of the match early and never looked back.“We felt like we wanted to get aggressive from the get go,” Schunzel said. “But instead, Michigan State did that, and they were the aggressors the whole match.”Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Benson said the team wasn’t as focused as in previous matches.“It wasn’t a good night for the entire team, and the fight wasn’t there,” Benson said. “The last games, we have been a team, but tonight we didn’t have the energy.”With the loss, the Hoosiers dropped to 6-8 in the Big Ten and 14-12 overall. To make postseason play, IU must finish with at least a 10-10 record in conference play. IU’s remaining schedule includes road games against Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan, and home contests against Wisconsin and Northwestern. IU’s easiest path to get four wins would be to beat both the Buckeyes and the Wildcats, who currently sit at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. Another winnable match for the Hoosiers – at least on paper – would be against the Badgers, who IU already beat in Madison earlier in the year. The remaining three opponents are ranked teams, of which the Hoosiers would need to beat at least one, as well as win the aforementioned three matches to get to 10-10.The first of the remaining matches is against arch-rival No. 18 Purdue on Friday night in West Lafayette. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wittmer said the fact that the Hoosiers played Purdue hard but lost a five-set thriller earlier in the year makes the team hungry to win this time around.“There is a motivation to beat them, since we lost a close match at home and played well,” Wittmer said.
(11/07/08 5:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After losing to top-ranked Penn State, the IU volleyball team returns to action Saturday in what appears to be a more winnable match against Michigan State.Unlike the Nittany Lions, who have not lost a set or match this year, the Spartans are unranked. Michigan State is 4-8 in the Big Ten and 12-11 overall, while the Hoosiers are 6-7 in the Big Ten and 14-11 overall.Before the loss to Penn State, IU won four matches in a row, including wins against two ranked teams: then-No. 21 Wisconsin and then-No. 13 Minnesota. The Hoosiers also came close to handing Penn State their first loss in a set this year as IU led the third set 22-21 before Penn State ultimately won the final four points and the match.IU freshman defensive specialist Caitlin Cox said she thinks if the Hoosiers compete against Michigan State with the same force they’ve shown before, the results will be different.“If we play like we did in the last set against Penn State, then I think we are capable of beating anyone,” Cox said.IU coach Sherry Dunbar said she thinks it is important the Hoosiers play well in general.“I think it is a big match for us, and we need to get fired up and play point-for-point,” Dunbar said.Saturday’s match begins at 6:30 p.m.Regardless of the outcome, the Hoosiers will need several more wins to reach NCAA Tournament eligibility. To be considered, the team must finish at least 10-10 in conference play.Senior middle blocker Erica Short said because of her experience, her own play is important to the Hoosiers’ success and chance at postseason play.“Since I am a senior, I know I have to keep the ball in play, as I am the team leader,” Short said.
(11/06/08 4:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team battled hard against the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on the road Wednesday but ultimately came up short. Penn State has not lost a game or a set this year, and for the first two sets, that streak appeared to be in little danger, as the visitors won 25-13 and 25-14. However, after a halftime pep talk from coach Sherry Dunbar, IU came out a different team.“We talked about playing aggressive in the locker room,” Dunbar said. “We brought the energy (in the third set), and we weren’t intimidated by them.”In the third set, the Hoosiers kept the Nittany Lions on their heels and led 22-21 before ultimately losing the final four points.The overall loss was the Hoosiers’ first in their last in five matches and drops their record to 6-7 in the Big Ten and 14-11 overall. IU senior middle blocker Erica Short said she was pleased with the Hoosiers’ play in the third set and thought they could have come out on top in it.“We obviously could have won the third set, but I was proud of how of our team played,” Short said. “We also stayed aggressive and didn’t care that they were the No. 1 team in the nation.” Statistically, IU was dominated on both offense and defense, as they lost the kill category 36-26 and the dig category 37-31.However, one area IU did win statistically was service aces, by a count of 5-4.One of those aces came from IU freshman defensive specialist Caitlin Cox, who said afterward she was pleased with her serving.“I was trying to serve aggressively and put the ball in play,” Cox said. IU returns to action Saturday in East Lansing, Mich., for a matchup against Michigan State.The Hoosiers beat the Spartans 3-1 in Bloomington last month for their first Big Ten win. Dunbar said the Hoosiers are already preparing hard for the match.“We already watched film on them and can’t take anything for granted,” she said. “They are a young team, and we need to play as well as we did last time.”The Hoosiers’ match Saturday against Michigan State begins at 6:30 p.m. and live audio of the contest can be found at IUHoosiers.com.
(11/03/08 3:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Just when it seemed making the NCAA Tournament was an afterthought, the Hoosiers strung together a weekend sweep of Iowa and No. 13 Minnesota to put themselves back into postseason contention.With the wins this weekend, IU has now won four in a row and five out of six to even their Big Ten record at 6-6. To make the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers need to finish at least 10-10 in conference play.The weekend began with a furious comeback on Halloween against the Iowa Hawkeyes.The Hoosiers trailed 2-0 before rallying to win the final three sets. Things appeared especially gloomy in the fifth set, when IU was down 14-11 and facing match point before ripping off five straight points of their own to win it. IU sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wittmer said she thought it was an exciting game that the Hoosiers managed to pull out.“(The game) was so emotional, because we were down in the fifth set,” Wittmer said. “They had game points so many times, and us crawling back was just awesome.”Saturday night, the Hoosiers managed to win another five-set thriller over the No. 13 Minnesota Golden Gophers. The script was a repeat of Friday night, as the Hoosiers trailed 20-15 in the fourth set before rallying for a 25-22 win to even the match at two sets apiece. The fifth set had less drama than Friday, as IU pulled ahead 5-4 and never looked back in a 15-9 win.IU coach Sherry Dunbar said she thought the Hoosiers played with poise for the entire match.“We are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Dunbar said. “We were calm and relaxed but aggressive and having fun.”IU freshman defensive specialist Caitlin Cox said things got better for the Hoosiers as the match went on after bad luck at the beginning.“This was such an exciting match,” Cox said. “Things weren’t going our way at first, but then everything clicked and we started crushing balls and we took off.”Statistically, IU was aggressive on defense all weekend as they managed to out-dig Iowa 76-63 and Minnesota 70-54. On offense, IU was equally impressive, as they out-killed the Hawkeyes 66-59 and the Gophers 71-61.IU returns to action Wednesday when they travel to University Park, Pa., for a date with undefeated and defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. Those wishing to watch the match can catch all the action on the Big Ten Network.Dunbar said she thinks IU needs to continue to improve as a team and not get too hyped up over the wins this weekend.“We just have to chip away and remember how we are getting here,” Dunbar said. “If we can stay focused and not get too much into winning all these matches and take it one day at a time, we will continue to get better as a team.”
(10/20/08 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Serving as the warm-up course for Hoosier Hysteria, the IU volleyball team proved to be sizzling hot.Playing against a struggling Ohio State squad, the Hoosiers took advantage of the momentum provided by beating the Buckeyes 3-1.After dropping the first set 22-25, IU rebounded to dominate the rest of the match, running up three straight victories by scores of 25-15, 25-18 and 29-27 in front of a crowd of 8,182.IU coach Sherry Dunbar said she was grateful to be able to play in front of a large crowd.“This match was a wonderful opportunity to get exposure for our program,” Dunbar said. “Three quarters of that audience had never seen IU volleyball, so to give them that exposure and to play such a great match and get the crowd involved was amazing.”IU sophomore Taylor Wittmer also attributed the success in the match to the strong fan showing.“The atmosphere was definitely a plus for us,” Wittmer said. “We were playing in Assembly Hall and know what Hoosier pride is all about, so we showed the fans that Indiana volleyball is something.”In terms of the numbers themselves, IU dominated the statistical categories. The Hoosiers racked up 60 kills to Ohio State’s 54 and managed to get more overall points by a final tally of 72-65. The overall points were a team effort, as four Hoosier players managed to rack up at least 11 individual points.Saturday proved less successful for the Hoosiers, as IU lost 3-0 to No. 22 Michigan.All three matches were there for the taking, however, as the final scores stood 23-25, 22-25 and 36-38.In the first set, IU led 23-21 before losing the final four points. In the second set, IU led 22-18 before losing the final seven points. In the third and deciding match, neither of the teams could gain an advantage. The match went well past 25 points. Eventually, on the 38th point of the set, Michigan’s Juliana Paz ended the match with a kill.Freshman Caitlin Cox thought the results could have been reversed, but the team became timid late in each set.“We were very capable of winning all three sets of the match and sweeping them 3-0, but when we got up to the 20-22 point range, we kind of stopped playing,” Cox said.IU returns to action next weekend when the team hits the road against Northwestern and Wisconsin next Friday and Sunday, respectively.Dunbar said she thinks IU is capable of winning any match. If they improve mentally the results will start to show.“Overall, every match is a winnable match,” she said. “I think we need our mentality to be better, because we have the talent and are competing at a high level.”
(10/13/08 4:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After taking a step forward last weekend, the IU volleyball team took two steps back this weekend. The step forward – when IU recorded its first Big Ten win against Michigan State and ended the Spartans’ 10-game winning streak Oct. 3. The steps back – this past weekend in its most recent matches, as IU suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 12 Minnesota on Friday and fell to Iowa 3-2 on Saturday.The Iowa match was particularly heart-breaking, as the Hoosiers led 2-1 before losing the final two games. In the fifth game, IU led as late as 11-9 before ultimately losing 15-12.Junior outside hitter Kelsey Hall said the Hoosiers are searching for answers right now.“I don’t think we can finish matches right now, and we don’t know why,” Hall said. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wittmer said the Iowa match was a contest the Hoosiers had to have, but they let it slip away.“We had the match won,” Wittmer said. “This is a match we needed, and we couldn’t finish it.” With the losses, the Hoosiers slip to 1-5 in the Big Ten and 9-9 overall. Also, their chances of going to the postseason appear to be in jeopardy, as a team must finish at .500 or better in conference play to be considered for the NCAA Tournament. IU returns to action Friday against Ohio State in what figures to be a winnable match if the Hoosiers can play up to their potential. The Buckeyes are currently struggling and, like the Hoosiers, sit at 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers will have the added benefit of playing in front of what should be the largest crowd of the year at Assembly Hall, as they are the appetizer to Hoosier Hysteria on Friday night.Wittmer said she thinks the Hoosiers have to play with attitude and look to the future if they want to have a chance in the Ohio State game.“We have to go into the match and know we can win it,” she said. “We also must put the past games behind us.”
(10/03/08 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team will finally get the luxury of facing an unranked team in the Big Ten.But even though it’s not ranked, Michigan State is a formidable opponent, carrying a 10-3, 2-0 record and a 10-match winning streak into Friday’s contest. IU sophomore Taylor Wittmer, however, isn’t impressed.“We are going to win this game and come out on fire,” she said. Even though she hopes for the same outcome as Wittmer, IU junior Kelsey Hall was a little more laid back in her prediction, admitting the opposition is tough.“Every team in the Big Ten is great,” Hall said. “Going out every night, we are going to play top competition, but we hope to get the win.” IU has dropped its first three Big Ten matches to No. 20 Illinois, No. 19 Purdue and No. 1 Penn State and sits at 0-3 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers were competitive in each match, however. In the most recent contest against the defending national champion Nittany Lions, the Hoosiers lost 25-17, 25-18, 25-19. The Hoosiers were on top for most of the third set, though, and carried a lead as late as 18-16 before Penn State took over.Against Purdue, IU lost in five sets in front of an energetic and nearly sold-out crowd at University Gym. Against Illinois, IU took the first set before dropping close contests in the final three sets. Friday’s match begins at 7 p.m. After Friday, the Hoosiers head to the road for matches against Minnesota and Iowa Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, respectively. Wittmer knows this match is imperative for the Hoosiers postseason chances.“We have lost to three Big Ten teams already,” she said. “It is unacceptable if we want to go to the NCAA Tournament to lose four in a row.”
(10/02/08 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite hanging around for most of the match, the IU volleyball team was eventually out-clawed by the Nittany Lions in straight sets Wednesday night.Penn State continued their undefeated season, improving to 15-0 on the year. They still have not lost a single set. It was also Penn State’s 41st win in a row, dating back to last year when they won the national championship.IU, meanwhile, fell to 8-7 on the year and 0-3 in the Big Ten, losing their fourth match in a row overall. The Hoosiers did manage to hang tough all night and lead in various parts of the match, including most of the third set when they jumped out to a 7-3 lead and led as late as 18-16. Junior outside hitter Kelsey Hall said she thought the Hoosiers did the best they could, given the nature of their competition. “We hung with them, and they are the No. 1 team in the country,” Hall said. “To play with them in the third set was really exciting, as you don’t expect to do that when you’re playing the defending national champions.”There could be some positive to loss, as well. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wittmer hopes to use the success and confidence gained from the third set in future matches after a slight lack of passion in the opening two games. “I felt like in the first two sets, we played with them, but didn’t have the intensity we could have had,” Wittmer said. “In the third set, we came out on fire and were intense and it did a lot for our confidence.”Statistically, IU was dominated in almost every category and lost 67-39 in total points. One area The Hoosiers did manage to beat Penn State was in team blocks, as they won that battle 8-7. Wittmer put a lot of emphasis on the fact that the Hoosiers won that category. “We were really proud of our blocking, as they are the best blocking team in the country, so this is an amazing accomplishment for us,” she said. Competition will get slightly easier Friday when the Hoosiers return to action against Michigan State to close out a four-game home stand at the University Gym. While the Spartans will be the first unranked team the Hoosiers have faced in four Big Ten matches, they still bring to Bloomington a 10-3 record and own a 10-match winning streak overall.
(10/01/08 4:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team might have thought it had it tough last weekend, facing two top-20 teams, Illinois and Purdue.But those teams are nothing compared to the next monster IU will encounter today at the University Gym.This monster comes in the guise of a lion – a Nittany Lion, to be exact. Defending national champion and undefeated Penn State will pay Bloomington a visit.The top-ranked Nittany Lions have not lost a single set in competition this year, let alone a match, as they stand at a perfect 14-0. They have also won 40 straight matches dating back to last year and have lost just eight total sets during that time period. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, have had more modest results, as they come in at 8-6 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten this year. Still, the Hoosiers aren’t intimidated. IU coach Sherry Dunbar is looking forward to the challenge the Lions will provide.“It is a great opportunity,” Dunbar said. “Why not play the best team in the country, as it should be a great experience for us?”Freshman outside hitter Danielle LaGrange said she believes the team just needs to be optimistic, and good things can happen.“We have to have a positive attitude and have the mindset that we are going to win,” LaGrange said. Today’s game will mark IU’s first television appearance of the season, as the game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. Following the Penn State match, competition will lighten up somewhat, as IU takes on unranked Michigan State on Friday to close out a four-match home stand that opened the Big Ten season. For now, however, the Hoosiers are focused on Penn State, a team that is literally on top of the college volleyball world at present. Freshman middle blocker Lexie Woodson knows that no matter what happens Wednesday, there is still an abundance of time to do well the rest of the season.“We have plenty of matches and practice to look forward to,” Woodson said.
(09/29/08 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In front of one of the largest and most energetic crowds to ever watch an IU volleyball match, the Hoosiers suffered a heartbreaking loss to No. 19 Purdue on Saturday at University Gym. With a crowd of 1,442 fans backing them up, the Hoosiers fought point for point with the Boilermakers before eventually dropping a five-set thriller.IU coach Sherry Dunbar could not believe the support from the near-capacity crowd and thinks the fans will return again in the future after the effort the Hoosiers gave. “I think they are going to come back,” Dunbar said. “The atmosphere was unbelievable, and I was so happy the fans showed up, and it really helped us a ton.” IU sophomore Hayley Koetter was also thrilled by how loud the fans were. “It was awesome,” Koetter said. “I loved playing in front of a crowd like this. It makes everything so much more intense.”In terms of the match, Dunbar was proud of the effort the Hoosiers showed, despite the result.“That was the first time I have seen us play with that kind of heart and fight,” she said. “We were all over the place digging balls, and that is the sign of a team with a lot of heart.” The Hoosiers beat Purdue in almost every statistical category available. They out-killed the Boilermakers 73-63, out-dug them 77-60 and beat them in overall points 88.5-76.5. In Friday’s game against Illinois, senior Erica Short led the Hoosiers with 25 kills and seven blocks. In all, the Hooisers sent back 15 Illini shots, but lost the match three sets to one after taking the opening set.With the pair of losses, the Hoosiers dropped to 8-6 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. Things will get even harder for the Hoosiers when they return to action Wednesday at University Gym to face defending national champion and top-ranked Penn State. IU sophomore Taylor Whittmer hopes to use the Purdue match as a springboard for staying with Penn State. “Coming off tonight is great,” Whittmer said. “We showed our fight and on any given night anything can happen.”