2002 season 'just the beginning'

Coming off of a dismal 8-20 last season and a ninth place finish in the Big Ten, the Hoosier volleyball squad had a lot of rebuilding to do. Yet 20 wins, three All-Big Ten team members and a NCAA Tournament bid later, the IU reconstruction came through with flying colors.\n"Right after last year, we started lifting and conditioning the next week and working towards turning everything around," senior libero Hillary Toivonen said. "We knew we had the talent. It just took the commitment from everyone, and it finally paid off."\nBolstered by impressive play throughout the season, IU tied the previous season's win total in just 10 games, finished with a 20-12 overall record and earned its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1999.\nJunior middle blocker Melissa Brewer was named to the All-Big Ten conference team with 470 season kills with an impressive 3.76 kills per game average and a team-leading .312 hitting percentage. Brewer also added 127 block assists, good for third on IU's all-time season list. \nSophomore outside hitter Christina Archibald and sophomore middle blocker Katie Pollom were also selected as conference honorable mentions. Archibald finished the 2002 campaign with 555 total kills, breaking Anne Eastman's 1994 record of 539. Archibald stood at third in the conference with 4.31 kills per game and finished second on the Hoosier squad with 310 digs. Pollom added 3.42 kills per game of her own and led IU with 148 total blocks. Sophomore setter Victoria Zimmerman paced IU's impressive hitting by logging a Hoosier single-season record 1,765 assists, placing her among the nation's top 10 in that category.\n"Victoria Zimmerman truly broke out after limited play last year. Katie Pollom also had a great year and really stepped up," coach Katie Weismiller said. "Christina (Archibald) and Melissa (Brewer) were expected to have great seasons, and they didn't let us down." \nHoosier players weren't alone in surpassing career milestones. Weismiller surpassed Ann Lawver as IU's winningest coach with a 159-155 overall record with the Hoosiers. Weismiller fittingly surpassed Lawver's win total in a match against Purdue, Nov. 29. \nThe end of the 2002 season also marks the finish of Toivonen's illustrious career at IU. As a four-year starter, Toivonen began her career as an all-around player, standing in the top three in both kills and digs for her sophomore and junior seasons. The libero rule change put her into a purely defensive position that only left her moonlighting in as an attacker during later matches of the season. Toivonen finished with 1,295 career digs list, and surpassing current IU assistant coach Cydryce Carter for second all-time earlier this year. Standing as the only Hoosier to previously experience an NCAA Tournament selection, Toivonen was still elated when she saw IU's name flash on the screen.\n"Everyone just went crazy," Toivonen said. "It's the most unbelievable feeling. It's like everything has been paid off and everything is done, and it makes everything worth it."\nWhile the 2002 bid was a breakout season for the IU squad, the Hoosiers will enter next season largely intact as Toivonen is the only player graduating. Pollom said this season was just the beginning.\n"We set out with a common goal to gain respect and to prove that we are a great team," Pollom said. "It was a great turnaround from last year, but this season was just the beginning"