Team looks to rebound in 2 weekend matches

This weekend is Homecoming, and for the IU women's volleyball team the cozy confines of University Gym have never looked better.\nLast weekend the Hoosiers traveled east to play against Ohio State and No. 11 Penn State, and the results were less than pleasing to the Hoosier coaches and players.\n"Last week was rough," senior Melissa Brewer said. "I could say that those were two of the worst matches that I've seen since I've been here."\nBrewer is referring to the 30-24, 30-28, 30-24 loss against the Buckeyes in Columbus and the 30-20, 30-17, 30-15 drubbing the Nittany Lions put on the Hoosiers. But despite last weekend's poor showing, the team's confidence remains high going into this weekend's play against Michigan and No. 16 Michigan State.\n"The thing with this team is that we bounce back real easily," Brewer said. "We had some matches in the preseason where we played really poorly but came back and then beat some really good teams. Being at home is going to be a big key, and I think we're going to bounce back just fine." \nThe Hoosiers come into this weekend's play with a 9-6 record and an even 2-2 in conference play but face two difficult opponents this weekend in the Wolverines and Spartans. \nMichigan (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) split their two matches last weekend, as they swept the Spartans before falling to a ranked Wisconsin squad. The Wolverines arrive in Bloomington with a 5-2 record on the road, already equaling last season's win total away from Ann Arbor. In this week's American Volleyball Coaches' Association poll, the Wolverines received 50 votes and are just shy of cracking the top 25.\nNo. 16 Michigan State, like Michigan, split both its matches last weekend, as the Spartans (10-4, 2-2) got swept by in-state rival Michigan but rebounded nicely to beat Wisconsin. IU leads the all-time series in Bloomington 14-8 against the Spartans and will be looking for much of the same with some help from the home crowd.\n"We're going to put the losses behind us and focus on this weekend with Michigan and Michigan State," junior Beth Heimann said. "This is our Homecoming so I think the energy should be high, and we'll be ready to play at a high level this weekend."\nThis season, University Gym has been friendly to the Hoosiers. IU is 7-1 in matches played at the gym and has won five in a row at home including an upset victory over then-No. 18 Minnesota.\nThis season the Big Ten has lived up to its billing as one of the toughest conferences in the country. Currently there are three Big Ten teams ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA poll, and two more teams are receiving votes and sitting just outside the top 25. So while the Hoosiers will be looking to rebound from last weekend's disappointing play, the team knows that in conference play nothing comes easily.\n"You can never take a game lightly," Heimann said. "Every weekend is a big opponent, big rival. You can't walk into a gym and just expect to win. You have to play hard every point and every game to win the match."\nThe Hoosiers have used strong individual performances this season as many IU players rank near the top in Big Ten statistical categories. Junior Christina Archibald ranks second in the conference with 253 kills and ranks third in the league averaging 4.44 kills per game. Heimann ranks third in the league with 181 digs and sits in fourth place averaging 3.29 digs per game. Senior Monique Pritz ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a .368 hitting percentage, and senior Nikki Hill leads the conference averaging 0.67 service aces a game. \nThe team took last weekend's losses hard but returned to Bloomington and practiced immediately Sunday to try to correct the mistakes and make sure that they will be ready for this weekend's contests.\n"Our team is competitive, and they want to win, and I think they'll be ready to play," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "You could see it on their faces, they hated to lose. They hated the way the weekend went. So they came back in Sunday focused. I like the competitive spirit of this team, and I know we'll rebound."\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Glenesk at mglenesk@indiana.edu.