Road trip next hurdle

Coming off an upset victory over the No. 15 ranked Wisconsin Badgers last Saturday, the Hoosiers take to the road this weekend as they get ready to face the Illinois Fighting Illini and rival Purdue Boilermakers. IU (12-6, 2-4) has struggled in road games so far this season, as they have posted a 1-4 record away from Bloomington. \nThe Hoosiers are looking to improve on a 2-20 record in Champaign-Urbana and a 12-40-1 record all time versus Illinois. The Illini, (9-6, 3-3) are coming off an upset victory over the No. 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Illinois is lead by six-foot-five-inch junior Lisa Argabright, who is averaging 3.25 kills per game and was one of 20 players invited to the USA Volleyball National A2 program over the summer. Senior Sue Webber was named Big Ten co-Player of the Week after the upset over the Gophers. \nThe Hoosiers are staying focused on the Illinois game, and are trying not to look ahead to the match against Purdue. Sophomore middle blocker Katie Pollom said it will take the team's undivided focus to beat the Illini.\n"We have to focus only on Illinois," Pollom said. "If we overlook Illinois, we simply will not beat them."\nAgainst Purdue, the Hoosiers will be fighting for more than just bragging rights. The winner of this match gains the Monon Spike, the volleyball-equivalent of football's Old Oaken Bucket. The Monon Spike dates back to 1981 and it's name is taken from the old Monon railroad, which originated in Indiana in the 19th century. IU won the Monon Spike last year, beating Purdue 3-1 on Nov. 16. \nIn addition, the contest against Purdue is part of the Titan Series. It was instilled in 2001 and is an overall athletic contest for all sports involved in the Purdue-IU rivalry. The winner of each sport's head-to-head game is awarded a point and after the final game in the spring, the school with the most team victories is the Titan Series winner. IU also won last year's Titan series. \nPurdue (9-9, 0-6) is led by sophomore Kim McConaha, who is averaging 3.72 kills a game and has registered a .355 hitting percentage. The Boilermakers, who began the season 9-3, have since lost six straight. \nIU has won six of the last seven matches against the Boilermakers. Coach Katie Weismiller said she is not afraid of a letdown on Saturday.\n"It's Purdue and it is a huge match," Weismiller said. "We will not let up at all against Purdue."\nHeading into Friday night's match with the Illini, sophomore Victoria Zimmerman is 41 assists shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. Currently, Zimmerman is ninth all-time on the IU assist list. Zimmerman said the record isn't weighing on her mind. \n"I just want to win this weekend, regardless of the assist mark," she said. "I want to come away with two wins this weekend."\nIU is the best attacking team in the Big Ten this year and Wesimiller attributes that to Zimmerman's assists.\n"A huge reason we are the best killing team in the Big Ten has to do with the way Zimmerman sets us up," Weismiller said.\nSophomore Christina Archibald continues to lead the Hoosiers in kills with just over four and a half per game.\nThe Hoosiers can earn their first conference road victory this weekend. The games kick off at 7 p.m. today in Champaign, Ill. and 7 p.m. Saturday in West Lafayette.