Freshman helps Hoosiers to first Big Ten victory

The IU women's volleyball team did something Saturday evening that had eluded the squad for more than a month -- win. \nLast Friday night, the Hoosiers came close to putting all the pieces together, forcing conference rival Wisconsin to a fifth and decisive game, before falling to the Badgers, extending the Hoosiers' losing streak to 10 matches. \nIU coach Katie Weismiller decided to mix up the usual roster and the end result was just what the Hoosier coach was looking for. With the team's 10-match losing streak in tow, IU came out and edged Northwestern 3-2 (31-29, 22-30, 28-30, 30-27, 17-15) the following night.\nThe Hoosiers made a major change to their lineup, inserting freshman Juli Pierce in at libero.\nThe libero is the defensive specialist on the floor, which requires a player be especially good at digging the ball out after serves. The libero plays the back row, can only serve once and does not count as one of the team's substitutions in a match.\nAlthough she has appeared in 67 games this season, Pierce's first-ever action at the position came in Saturday's contest against Northwestern.\nPierce, who hails from the small town of Georgetown, Ind., said she is happy to be helping the team in any way she can.\n"It's such a weird story, about how I ended up playing here at IU," she said.\nAfter sending a tape of her Providence High School volleyball matches to IU at the end of her senior year, Pierce received no interest just a few weeks before school was to start.\nOn the day when she decided between attending Western Kentucky University or IU, Pierce made the tough decision to enroll at IU even though no one from the volleyball program had contacted her about playing. Pierce concluded she just wanted to be in Bloomington.\nJust minutes after contacting Western Kentucky to let them know she had decided to go to IU, she received an e-mail from IU assistant coach Cydryce Carter asking if she was still interested in joining the team. \n"I still can't believe I'm playing in the Big Ten," Pierce said. "It's such a big transition from high school to college. The level of play is so much higher."\nFor such a transition, IU players and coaches said they feel Pierce is handling the situation well.\n"Juli has really stepped up her defense and passing in the last few weeks," Weismiller said. "She finished the weekend as our dig leader and one of our top passers ... and is playing with great poise." \nFriday against Wisconsin, Pierce set a career mark with 25 digs only to eclipse the mark Saturday with 26 digs against Northwestern.\nPierce ranks third on the team with 2.24 digs per game and second with 19 assists on the season.\n"Juli is a phenomenal athlete, with a great enthusiastic attitude," senior Christina Archibald said. "She definitely contributes a lot the team."\nThis weekend, Pierce and the Hoosiers hope to keep on winning when they host the No. 2 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers Friday and the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday at University Gym.\n-- Contact staff writer Kevin Dwire at kdwire@indiana.edu.