Pivotal weekend nears for volleyball team

A lake of Michigans will pour into the University Gym this weekend for the match against the Hoosier volleyball team. IU faces the 25th ranked Michigan State Spartans Friday and the Michigan Wolverines Saturday. Standing at 6-6 in the Big Ten, this weekend is a pivotal point for the Hoosiers' conference season. \nAlong with a 25th ranking, Michigan State is riding high off a season-best 84 kill upset against the 11th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Junior middle blocker Jenny Rood and sophomore outside hitter Kim Schram are Michigan State's main offensive weapons, posting 3.57 and 3.51 kills per game respectively. 6-foot, 4-inches senior middle blocker Angela Morely is the Spartan's defensive leader, logging 1.43 blocks per game, good for a third ranking in the Big Ten.\n"Offensively for Michigan State, they have some go-to players, but their blocking and defense is an area we need to capitalize on," coach Katie Weismiller said. "We have a better offense this year, and we need to take advantage of that."\nSaturday's match against the Wolverines will be no easy task as they already overtook the Hoosiers in a match earlier this season. Weismiller said Michigan's main asset is an impressive offense and ball control. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Gandolph brings an impressive 3.95 kills per game rating to the table along with junior outside hitter Chantel Reedus' 3.41 kills per game. Senior middle blocker Katrina Lehman follows up MSU's Morely in the Big Ten with 1.38 blocks per game.\nWhile the Michigan teams bring an array of talent to the University Gym, IU is not coming to the table empty-handed. Sophomore outside hitter Christina Archibald has been the offensive leader throughout the season, logging a second in the conference 4.38 kills per game along with 2.32 digs per game. Flanking Archibald's prowess, junior Melissa Brewer adds 3.74 kills per game of her own and a .304 hitting percentage.\nSophomore Katie Pollom brings a balanced game to the court by logging 3.41 kills per game along with a team leading 1.12 blocks per game. Senior libero Hillary Toivonen has filled her role as a purely defensive player by notching 3.21 digs per game, placing her at eighth in the Big Ten.\nDespite the Hoosiers' abilities, blocking has been IU's achilles heel. Despite a consistently impressive offense, blocking and defense have provided a few problems. However, the team is taking steps to aid their ails.\n"We've been working on our defense and blocking," Brewer said. "That's what's going to win our matches this weekend because our offense has been consistent this season."\nAlong with the Hoosiers' prowess on the court comes a bit of a grudge due to previous defeats at the hands of both the Wolverines and Michigan State this season.\n"Michigan is always a rival for us. We always come out wanting to beat them, and Michigan State is always a really strong team," Pollom said. "We're going against two huge opponents, but it will be great to get a couple of wins."\nWhile this season is a far cry from last year's dismal 8-24 record, the team is focusing on breaking through this season. Running at .500 in the Big Ten, IU is looking at this weekend as a pivotal point to get back into winning form.\n"This could be a turning point in the season, and it's a huge weekend for us," Pollom said. "If we do well this weekend, it will set the tone for the rest of the season"