Hoosiers take 2 of 3 matches in home-opener

The IU volleyball team defended its first home-court advantage this weekend as it went 2-1 in the IU adidas Classic.\nThe tournament was held at Assembly Hall, a change from the team’s usual home venue, the University Gym. Moving the matches to Assembly Hall provided a chance for all four teams involved to play in a bigger arena.\nIU notched wins over its first two opponents – East Tennessee State and North Carolina Central – before facing its first ranked opponent and suffering its first loss in the last six matches when No. 23 St. John’s topped the Hoosiers 3-0 Saturday night.\nAlthough the Hoosiers were unable to pull off the upset, junior outside hitter Erica Short said she thought the team performed admirably. \n“We have a few things to work on, but overall we played well,” she said.\nIU fans flocked to Assembly Hall when East Tennessee State faced off against the Hoosiers in the first match of the tournament. IU took the first game 30-21 before a crucial kill by freshman middle blocker Ashley Benson keyed a 30-28 victory in the second game. IU then took the final game of the match 30-22, defeating the Buccaneers 3-0 for the win in the first home match of the season.\nThe Hoosiers had little trouble with North Carolina Central, as they took the match in three games with scores of 30-25, 30-16, 30-16. Short again led the Hoosiers with 13 kills to help defeat the Eagles.\nSaturday night, the Hoosiers faced off against their first ranked opponent of the season, the St. John’s Red Storm. Senior defensive specialist Juli Pierce said the squad prepared heavily for some important match-ups they would have to face against the Red Storm. \n“We scout every team, and we knew this team has some big middle hitters we would have to watch,” Pierce said.\nThe Hoosiers stuck with St. John’s throughout the match, losing by a combined 13 points over three games. The first game was a close loss for IU, as the team fell 27-30 after cutting the score to 26-27 late in the game.\nGame two began well as the Hoosiers jumped out to an 11-4 lead. But nine straight Red Storm points gave St. John’s a 13-11 lead they would ride to a 30-26 win.\nThe Red Storm displayed strong offense at the right moments in game three, taking a 30-24 win and the IU adidas Classic championship.\nIU coach Sherry Dunbar said she knew St. John’s was going to be a tough opponent. \n“This team has tons of experience with players from all around the world,” Dunbar said. “They are a team that knows how to win, and I was happy we were competitive.”\nGoing 2-1 in this tournament, Dunbar said her team is ready to play with ranked opponents – they just need to finish games. \n“The fact they fought all the time (was good), and they had opportunities to win,” Dunbar said. “We need to now learn to push through and win.”\nOverall, the Hoosiers went 9-3 in four preseason tournaments, sweeping one and winning two out of three in each of the other three contests.\nPierce said she believes the team improved during tournament play. \n“Preseason is extremely helpful,” she said. “We get to play different types of teams from different conferences, and the team has improved every weekend.”\nGoing into Big Ten play, Dunbar said she believes the team is ready. \n“This preseason has made us very prepared,” she said. “There is correlation now of what we do in practice and how we perform in games and getting this program to feel how to win.”\nIU travels to Iowa on Friday to open Big Ten play.