3 tough opponents await volleyball team in Tennessee over weekend

This weekend, the IU volleyball team will face tough competition as they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take part in a tournament at the University of Tennessee. All three of the Hoosiers’ opponents this weekend made the NCAA tournament and had a combined record of 67-24 last season. Their first match will be against Belmont, the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Sun Conference. \nDespite the stiff competition this week, the Hoosiers believe they are up to the challenge.\n“We treat every team the same no matter their record,” said senior captain Gabrielle Allison. \nSenior Juli Pierce sees this weekend as a good opportunity to play even better than they did last week. \n“I’m really excited, I think we got all the anxiety out last week,” she said.\nIU coach Sherry Dunbar stressed three things heading into this weekend’s tournament: effort, communication and aggressiveness. \n“I’m still not concerned with wins and losses,” Dunbar said. “We need to worry about what we can control.”\nAlthough the Hoosiers won two of three contests in last weekend’s tournament at Northern Illinois, Dunbar said she was disappointed in the team’s lack of intensity and dedicated this week’s practices to improving players’ attitudes and intensity levels. \n“I thought Monday’s practice was the best we have had all year,” Dunbar said. “It was a very high intensity practice.”\nWith this being the first week of classes, Dunbar said some of the players have been scrambling to balance class and athletics.\n“Some of the girls – especially the new players – are already getting a bit overwhelmed with school and the volleyball schedule,” she said.\nThis weekend, however, the Hoosiers’ sole focus will be the team across the net. Belmont’s team includes two preseason All-Americans, in seniors Colleen Nilson and Jaye Schuler. Nilson was named last season’s conference player of the year and has been tabbed the conference’s preseason player of the year as well. Nilson holds the all-time school record in assists at Belmont. To neutralize Nilson, Dunbar said the team needs to serve well to take the Bruins out of their rhythm.\nThe Hoosiers will next take on Jacksonville State – a team they have never faced before – at noon Saturday. The Gamecocks are led by last season’s Ohio Valley Conference player of the year, Abbey Breit, who recently set the all-time Jacksonville State record for kills. Their last match of the weekend will be at 7 p.m. Saturday against host Tennessee. The Hoosiers are 2-2-1 all-time against Tennessee.\nTwo Hoosiers are nearing the top in all-time career statistical categories. Senior Annie Moddrell’s 230 career block assists are just two shy of 10th all-time in IU history. Senior Lauren Ditteon is only nine aces shy of closing in on the career ranking list.