Struggling Hoosiers hope to upset ranked Illini in home stand finale

After a heartbreaking loss to in-state rival Purdue Wednesday night, the IU women's volleyball team will wrap up its longest home stand of the season tonight against a nationally ranked Illinois team.\nThe Illini, currently ranked No. 25, come to Bloomington with a 17-6 record overall, 9-5 in the Big Ten. Illinois recently lost matches to two teams ahead of them in the national and conference rankings -- Minnesota and Penn State -- but the Illini have recovered, winning four of their last five matches.\nLast weekend, the blue and orange defeated Wisconsin and Northwestern in convincing fashion.\nThe Illini have looked strong this season, beating two top-10 teams in No. 1 University of Southern California Sept. 13 and conference rival No. 7 Ohio State. Illinois earned its highest ranking of the year -- No. 9 -- after they defeated the Trojans \nSince then, the Illini have bounced around in the polls, but currently sit at No. 25 for two straight weeks.\nThe all-time series between IU and Illinois has been dominated by the Illini, with a commanding 43-14 lead overall, including the last four matches since the 2002 season.\nAs the Hoosiers try to put Wednesday night's loss to Purdue behind them, they would like nothing more than to hand the Illini a defeat. Earlier this season at Champaign, Ill., the Hoosiers lost in straight sets to Illinois.\n"We've gone through our ups and downs this season, but it would mean a lot to end on a high note," senior Christina Archibald said. \nAgainst the Boilermakers, Archibald had 19 kills but struggled with just a .138 attack percentage.\nThe Hoosiers have gone through stretches of inconsistency this season, but they say are not letting the losses keep them down.\n"We have to show competitive spirit in every match," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "We're going to fight all the way until the end of the season."\nWhile the loss to the Boilermakers was hard to take, the Hoosiers said they played well Wednesday.\n"Purdue is a very good team. We were able to take them out of what they wanted to do all night," Weismiller said.\nWith only five matches left in the season, seniors Archibald and Katie Pollom want to end their collegiate careers in a positive way.\n"We want to leave the program better than when we got here," Pollom said. "We know how good this team can be." \nPollom led the Hoosiers against Purdue with 22 kills and an impressive .475 hitting percentage.\nAgainst Purdue, the match ended on a questionable call from the line judge in the fifth game. The judgment did not go over well with the Hoosiers or their supporters as the Purdue fans cheered in the background.\nThe team said its not going to let the loss slow them down. Although the win-loss column might not show it, the Hoosiers have been playing much better of late.\n"When we have an off game, we know we can come back strong in the next one," Pollom said.\nThe Hoosiers will try to come out strong tonight against Illinois at 7 p.m. at University Gym, located at the corner of 10th Street and the 45/46 Bypass.\n-- Contact staff writer Tim O'Brien at tpobrien@indiana.edu.