IU returns home to face Illini, Wildcats

After splitting a two-game road trip to Iowa and Minnesota, the Hoosiers come back home to face Illinois and Northwestern this weekend. IU currently sports an 11-16 overall record, going 4-12 in the Big Ten.\nThe Hoosiers faced off against the two Illinois teams in late October; they were swept in three games by Northwestern and lost 3-1 to No. 20 Illini. Illinois and IU will square off on Friday, with the Northwestern match coming Saturday.\nLast week, IU was able to capture its second win after an 11-game losing streak when they defeated Iowa in four games. Senior middle blocker Melissa Brewer will hope to carry her success over, as she set a season high with 10 block assists in the Iowa match. Brewer was also named to the Verizon Academic All-District V Second Team on Nov. 13, and is closing in on some of IU's all-time records. She is 25 blocks away from becoming the all-time block leader and just 39 kills away from the top of that list. \nDespite losing to each of the teams earlier this year, there is reason for the Hoosiers to have confidence going into the match. IU coach Katie Weismiller is 8-3 in her last 11 matches against the Wildcats, and the Hoosiers were able to best the Illini in the last match between the two teams held in Bloomington.\nWhile several of the team's more experienced players are coming off of some successful matches, it has been the play of IU's younger players that has been creating a stir in recent weeks. Several freshmen, including setter Tasha Arsenych, and defensive specialists Sara Diehl and Lindsay Cochrane, have seen substantial amounts of playing time in IU's past few matches. Against Ohio State, Arsenych tallied 47 assists, eight digs and six block assists. Cochrane has been seeing the floor for much of the season and has 146 digs. Diehl has also provided a good spark off the bench in the past few matches, getting into the double-digits in digs against Penn State.\nBoth matches are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be at the University Gym.