Road continues to bring Hoosiers trouble

Road travels were again hard on the IU women's volleyball team as it was defeated by Big Ten rivals Iowa and Minnesota over the weekend. \nBoth squads held "Pack the House" nights against the Hoosiers, adding momentum to the competitive environment, and IU coach Katie Weismiller said feedback from the fans was astonishing.\n"Iowa's fans were incredibly responsive to the team, and vice versa," Weismiller said. "Minnesota was absolutely incredible with 9,000 fans cheering. It was a really fun environment to be in."\nThe Hoosiers fought back after falling behind 2-0 to the Hawkeyes and were able to tie the score because of a balance offensive attack. Senior outside hitter Rachel Gerling added a double-double with 20 digs and an additional 20 kills, while freshman setter Laura Holm racked up 18 digs and 36 assists. Freshman Erica Short also helped the Hoosiers' attack with 14 kills and four block assists.\n"We lost the first two sets and were down by eight in the third, but we didn't quit," said sophomore outside hitter Gabrielle Allison. "With talking and communication, we bounced back."\nJunior outside hitter Anne Grabow said leadership seemed to be what brought the team back and allowed them to push through every point. She pointed to senior middle blocker Mandy Eberle and Gerling as sources of inspiration.\n"Eberle and Gerling really played like seniors that night," Grabow said. "They turned it on when things got tough and stepped it up big time." \nHowever, IU cooled off as Iowa pulled ahead at the last moment with a late run in the final set. The loss dropped IU to 2-9 in the Big Ten and 9-14 overall.\nSaturday, the Hoosiers moved on to face Minnesota with a large audience looking on. The Golden Gophers and their fans were too much for IU, as Minnesota won in straight sets (30-21, 30-20, 30-18).\nGerling made a strong showing with 10 kills and eight digs, topped only by junior Sara Diehl's 13 saves. Allison, Eberle and freshman Erica Short had five kills each against Minnesota's defense, and sophomore Annie Moddrell merited a .429 hitting percentage. However, the .211 team hitting percentage was not enough to surpass the .389 total by Minnesota. \nDespite the losses, Allison said she feels much more confident about her team's abilities and its confidence level as a whole.\n"We knew that the crowds would be big. They were tough losses, but we had a great performance," Allison said. "We definitely have the skill and chemistry out there, but there's just a few tiny things to fix up that we'll concentrate on in practice."\nThe Hoosiers will play Penn State at 7 p.m. Friday before facing Ohio State Saturday.