Team falls to Illini, sweeps Wildcats

This weekend, the IU women's volleyball team welcomed Northwestern and No. 20 Illinois to University Gym for a pair of Big Ten conference matches. With the season nearing its conclusion and with the Hoosiers out of tournament contention, the team is playing loose and relishing the role of playing the spoiler.\nFriday night, the Illini (22-5, 13-4 Big Ten) defeated the Hoosiers in four hard-fought games 30-20, 28-30, 30-23, 30-27. Senior Melissa Brewer hammered out 16 kills, had three solo blocks and five block assists. Junior setter Victoria Zimmerman recorded her second-straight double-double and eighth of the season with 42 assists and 12 digs. Junior Christina Archibald pounded out 13 kills and collected seven digs, and junior Beth Heimann corralled 10 digs.\n"I thought Illinois did a great job," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "They are a very good team. They have a lot of offense. On our side, Victoria did a great job of distributing the ball and creating a lot of opportunities for all of our hitters. Our location was also very good. We knew Illinois was a good team, and they were tough. I thought at times we looked good and at times we didn't. Our consistency is a variable that we need to get better at."\nSaturday, the Hoosiers faced off against Northwestern (17-13, 8-10), who, earlier in the season, had swept the Hoosiers in Evanston. IU, cheered on by a raucous University Gym crowd, swept the Wildcats 33-31, 35-33, 30-25, improving its record to 12-17 overall and 5-13 in the Big Ten. \nJunior Katie Pollom led the Hoosiers with 16 kills to go along with four block assists. Archibald added another 13 kills and has reached double-digit kill marks in 45 of her last 46 matches.\nA night after dropping a tough match to a ranked Illinois team, the Hoosiers came out with great intensity and enthusiasm and sustained that energy for the duration of the match. \nThe first game featured 18 ties and 10 lead changes, before the Hoosiers eventually came out on top. The second game showcased much of the same. Both teams battled back and forth before the Hoosiers built a 18-14 lead, seemingly frustrating the Wildcats and taking them out of their system. IU secured the second game and headed to the locker room with a commanding two game advantage.\n"Obviously every match is a big match for us," Weismiller said. "We're going to be hungry and ready to play. When you look in the locker room, you definitely see that element of confidence. Coming out for game three, I don't think there was a question on anybody's mind that we weren't going to win this game."\nIn the third and final game of the match, the Hoosiers overpowered the demoralized Wildcats and built an early 13-7 advantage which later grew to a 25-17 lead that the Wildcats were unable to surmount. \n"Communication was going to be key to our success," Weismiller said. "I thought they did a nice job of relaxing, having fun and playing hard and sticking with the game plan."\nWith the season winding to a close, the Hoosier players competed with a sense of ease and played loose during this weekend's play. The results were reflected by their play on the court.\n"I think everyone is playing well, and when there is no frustration and everyone is playing well, it is easier to have fun and not have to worry about mistakes that you make," Zimmerman said. "The passing was great tonight, and that makes everything so much easier. It was a lot easier to play tonight and it was a lot of fun."\nUp next for the Hoosiers is intrastate rival Purdue in a battle for the Monon Spike Wednesday at University Gym. The Hoosiers look forward to their meeting with the Boilers as they try to end the season on a high note.\n"We have upped our communication, and the intensity is there," Pollom said. "We were just confident. We are going to carry that through to the next match."\n-- Contact staff writer Matt Glenesk at mglenesk@indiana.edu.