Sophomore outside hitter keeps positive attitude despite loss

The volleyball team is on a two-game losing streak after dropping matches to conference foes Penn State and Ohio State. The Hoosiers (12-8, 3-7 in conference play) are tied for seventh in the Big Ten with Michigan, heading into a game with Michigan State Friday. \nSophomore outside hitter Hillary Toivonen has played a major role this season and tried to put the losing streak in focus. \n"It's really hard right now, because we're losing," Toivonen said. "I just need to stay positive, but you need to come in ready to work and willing to listen to the coaches. I hate to lose, but you have to work from the negatives and turn them into positives." \nLast weekend, in a loss to Ohio State, Toivonen led the team with nine kills and was among the leaders for total attacks and hitting percentage.\n"She's aggressive," coach Katie Weismiller said. "She may be small in stature compared to a lot of the Big Ten players, but she plays with a lot of heart. She's a big part of our offense and defense. A lot of people don't recognize how much she does for the program."\nToivonen ranks second on the team in kills per game, leads in total attacks and is among the frontrunners in hitting percentage. In the Big Ten, she ranks third in digs per game.\nIt's not just her performance on the court that draws attention to Toivonen; it's her disposition off the court as well.\n"She's always positive and always smiling," senior outside hitter Amanda Welter said. "You can tell type of mood she's in by her shoulders. If she's bouncy and happy, then you can tell by the way she walks, but if she's not having a good day, her shoulders are down."\nThe team has stuck together through the recent losses, which she says the Hoosiers will turn around. They were there for her when she got into a car accident the weekend the team took on Minnesota and Iowa. It was the team she turned to when her best friend transferred at the beginning of the school year.\nThere is one thing that Toivonen gets almost completely serious about, her back. In eighth grade, she was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine.\n"They were going to put me in a brace." Toivonen said. "So we got a second opinion, because my mom didn't want to put me through that."\nBut even then she finds the humorous side of things, because while trying to explain what it looked like, she gave up trying to describe it. She stood up, bent over, and pointed to the severe "S" shape in her back.\n"If you ever see me hit the ball, I'm very off-balance," Toivonen said. "I hit sideways, and I land on one leg. I don't have any problems with it right now, but we're watching it day by day, and hoping it's OK."\nToivonen, who is affectionately called "Wings" because of two tufts of blond hair that always seem to frizz out, is now concentrating on getting her team back it's winning ways.\n"It makes me happy when we win," Toivonen said, with a smile on her face. "We can turn it around. We have the potential. It's not over"