IU closes out season on 10-match losing streak

The IU volleyball team wrapped up its season with a pair of losses at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats and the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers this weekend, ending the season on a 10-match losing streak to finish 2-18 in Big Ten play and 9-23 on the season.\nThe Hoosiers looked to avoid the season sweep in Friday's match against Northwestern but came up short, falling to the Wildcats 3-1 (30-25, 35-33, 23-30, 30-27). \nIn the first game, IU tied the game at 8-8, only to see Northwestern run out to a 19-11 lead and never look back. The Hoosiers closed to within two points at 20-18 but were unable to come any closer behind an offense that managed only a .186 hitting percentage.\nThe second game featured 16 ties and five lead changes but again found the Hoosiers on the losing end. IU tied the match at 17-17 and again at 29-29, but Northwestern put the Hoosiers away in the end to take a 2-0 match lead.\nAfter the break, IU came out and took the third game from Northwestern despite an early 2-7 deficit. The Hoosiers came back to tie the game at 10-10, then took the lead to 13-10 and went on to win the game. \nThe fourth game of the match turned out to be the final game as Northwestern jumped out from a late 24-24 tie to take the game from the Hoosiers, 30-27. \nIU managed only a .177 hitting percentage throughout the match thanks to a Northwestern front line that totaled 18 block assists.\nThe Hoosiers played host to Wisconsin in the final match of the season, honoring seniors Rachel Gerling and Mandy Eberle in the process. \nTheir careers would not end on a good note, though, as IU dropped the match to the Badgers 1-3 (30-22, 30-16, 28-30, 30-15). \nThe offense struggled in the first two games of the match, both IU losses, unable to compile a hitting percentage of more than .125. \nIU took the third game of the match as the offense got back on track with a .344 hitting percentage. The success was short-lived, however, as the offense regressed to a .050 hitting percentage in the fourth and final game of the match. \nDespite the loss, Eberle broke the single-season total block and block assist records, cementing her place in the IU volleyball record books. \n"Mandy really worked her tail off this year to break those records," IU coach Katie Weismiller said in a statement. "It was great to see her achieve this way in breaking the records."\nEberle tallied 140 block assists to break the block assist record previously held by both Katie Pollom and Cydryce Carter at 139. The total blocks record was previously held by Pollom with 153; Eberle ended with 155.