Short, Dunbar ready to lead IU into Big Ten play

For the IU volleyball team, the start of Big Ten conference play is a whole different challenge from what it has faced so far this season. The Big Ten Conference is arguably the toughest in the nation. The conference has five teams ranked in the Top 20, and in-state rival Purdue recently dropped out of the Top 25. \nThe last three years, the Hoosiers have finished in the cellar of their conference, winning just five conference games in that time. They haven’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2002, when Katie Weismiller – IU’s all-time winningest coach – was at the helm. \nEven though preseason predictions have the Hoosiers finishing last in the conference this season, IU appears ready to make new strides. With six newcomers – both freshmen and transfers – and a new coaching staff for the first time since 1993, the Hoosiers have a new identity that might take them further than pundits expect. \nTaking control of the program is Sherry Dunbar. Before coming to IU, Dunbar saw success at her previous school, the College of Charleston. There, she tallied four Southern Conference regular season titles, three conference titles and advanced to the NCAA regionals three times. \n“One thing we’ve really been working on is the team’s intensity level, transferring from practice to game days,” Dunbar said. \nOne new coach joining Dunbar is Sarah Gustin. Gustin served as assistant coach under Dunbar at Charleston prior to coming to IU. As a Michigan State graduate, Big Ten ties might make Gustin one of the biggest new assets for a team with as many new faces as the Hoosiers have this season. \n“I bring Big Ten playing experiences to the team,” Gustin said. \nRounding out the coaching staff is David Jack, an assistant coach with more than 20 years of experience, including time as a player on the Jamaican National Team.\nJack is no stranger to IU volleyball – he is the husband of IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack and had watched the Hoosiers play before coming to the team. He said he can already see the differences Dunbar has brought to the team this year\n“I think this year’s team will have more fight in them,” Jack said. “If they were down 0-2 last year, they would have lost the match 0-3. I don’t think that will happen this year. Dunbar brings fight to the table.”\nThe Hoosiers will look to the play of junior outside hitter Erica Short – who has played in every game since her freshman year – when the conference season begins. As a freshman in 2005, she eclipsed IU’s single-season freshman kill mark. In that same year, her 3.46 kills per game was good for 10th in the Big Ten. She has quickly moved up the team’s all-time kill list. At her current pace, she will easily crack the Top 10 this season and has the chance to finish her career as high as second all-time in school history in that category. \nSo far this season, she has already drawn recognition for her play and was named to the all-tournament team in the UT Comcast Classic. She was also ranked first in the conference in kills per game as of press time.\nThe Hoosiers’ first home conference match will be Sept. 28 against preseason conference favorite Penn State.