IU rolls again in final non-conference match

The IU volleyball team bent slightly in its third game, but would not break Tuesday night against in-state rival University of Evansville, claiming a 3-1 victory over the Purple Aces at University Gym (30-27, 30-20, 31-33, 30-19). The win moved IU's record to 8-6 on the season, and dropped Evansville's record to 5-12.\n"We won -- it's great to get a win at home," IU head coach Katie Weismiller said. "We would have liked to win it in three, but we got to see a lot of people play."\nWeismiller emptied the bench in the four-game match, using 17 different players to help the Hoosiers to victory. \nThe Hoosiers were spurred by their defense, which led the way by holding Evansville to a .063 hitting percentage, while amassing 17 team blocks, led by senior Mandy Eberle, who tied the University Gym record with nine block assists in a four-game match. \n"The wing blockers tonight set up excellent blocks. It made it really easy to just close," Eberle said.\nIU won a close first game, limiting Evansville to a -.023 hitting percentage and taking the game 30-27 despite \nmanaging just a .093 hitting percentage of its own. \nThe Hoosiers rebounded in the second game to rout Evansville, 30-20, while hitting at a .424 clip. IU slipped up in the third game, losing 31-33 in a game that featured 16 ties and six lead changes. \nIU closed the match out in the fourth game, sending the Purple Aces home after defeating them 30-19. The IU defense stepped up again, holding its opponent to a -.023 hitting percentage, while hitting at a .341 percentage itself. \nIU also welcomed an important player back to the team. Sophomore Annie Moddrell saw her first action in three matches and a little over a week after spraining her ankle against Arkansas State University. Moddrell saw action in one game and accumulated three kills and two block assists.\n"It's great to have Annie back," Weismiller said. "It's wonderful, but the biggest thing is with her out, we got to see some people step up."\nIU hits the road this weekend with matches at Ohio State University and Penn State University. \n"I'm really excited," freshman Laura Holm said. "This team really has a lot going for it right now"