Host Hoosiers ready for tourney

The TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic kicks off tonight at the University Gym. The tournament brings four teams to Bloomington for three matches each.\nThe host IU Hoosiers begin their first match at 7 p.m. when they face the Dayton Flyers. Saturday brings the Evansville Aces and the Cal State Fullerton Titans to meet the Hoosiers at noon and 7:30 p.m. respectively. IU is coming off an energizing Northern Illinois Invitational sweep that sets the Hoosiers at 3-0.\n"I think we definitely had (jitters) coming into the last tournament and winning definitely made most of them go away," junior Melissa Brewer said.\nWhile the team is quite upbeat, the TIS/Taylor Tournament will not be without its challenges.\nThe Dayton Flyers come into the tournament after a shaky 1-2 start including a loss to the nationally ranked Long Beach State. But, last year's 21-8 record and four returning starters for this season speak for themselves.\nThe Evansville Aces bring a 2-2 record for their best season start since 1996 when they won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Evansville's top player is senior setter Megan Sacksteder who has amassed a total of 2,624 career assists ranking fourth on the Aces' all-time list. \nIndiana University is not the only team coming off a three game winning streak as the Cal State Fullerton Titans are also running high after defeating Fordham, Iona and Long Island University to reach a total record of 3-2. Senior Kim Levey is the Titans' main threat as she brings three years of starter experience and is also within range for the Cal State-Fullerton all-time assists record of 3,388 coming into the season.\nDespite worthy opponents, the volleyball team remains confident with the added spark of their first home audience of the season.\n"It's always just a spark when you play at home, we have more fans, all our parents, I think we have the best home crowd in the Big Ten," junior Nikki Hill said.\nAlong with the plus of a home crowd, the University Gym also brings a relatively obscure weapon to the Hoosiers' arsenal -- heat. The University Gym is prone to intense heat that the IU team has become accustomed to. As for their opponents, it's a whole different story.\n"We're so used to playing here, we're used to the heat, and that should provide a real advantage," junior Katie Pollom said.\nA standard rule for the 2002 IU Volleyball season is to keep tactics simple. The focus of this match remains simple but rather potent. Senior Hillary Toivonen said the Hoosiers are fixed on winning every game.\n"We're just going to focus on dominating the other teams," she said.