IU volleyball sweeps Ohio tournament

With the Big Ten schedule ahead, the IU volleyball team was looking to make a statement.

The Hoosiers (9-2) did just that by winning all four of their matches and claiming the championship at the Hampton Inn Invitational at Ohio University.

“(Our blocking) was much better,” IU coach Sherry Dunbar said. “We really controlled our defense a lot with our blocking.”

IU opened the tournament Friday with a four-set victory against Delaware, winning 25-21, 25-17, 22-25, 25-20.

The win against the Blue Hens saw double doubles from sophomore setter Mary Chaudoin and freshman outside hitter Jordan Haverly.

IU rallied from an early deficit to win the first set. The Hoosiers dropped the third, then led the way in the fourth to seal the tournament-opening victory.

The Hoosiers played their second match Friday evening against defending Mid-American Conference champion Ohio, defeating the Bobcats in five sets by scores of 25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12.

After splitting the first four sets, IU and Ohio exchanged runs in the fifth before Haverly and junior middle blocker Ashley Benson rejected a hit to lead 13-11 and forced the final Ohio timeout, setting up the victory for IU.

“It was definitely a statement win,” Benson said. “Before we played them, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s Indiana, an easy Big Ten team,’ but we showed them we mean business.”

IU continued its winning streak Saturday, blanking Eastern Kentucky 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 in its morning match.

Though each of the three sets in the match was close, the Hoosiers got the necessary defensive contributions to seal the win.

IU completed its sweep of the invitational Saturday afternoon against Missouri State, winning a thriller in five sets by scores of 25-21, 20-25, 26-28, 27-25 , 17-15.

Haverly recorded a career-high 28 kills in a match that needed extra points in each of its final three sets.

“It felt really great,” Haverly said. “There is so much energy on our court.”

After falling 1-2 after the match’s initial three contests, the Hoosiers had to muster comebacks in each of the final two sets. They faced a 8-14 deficit in the fourth and a 7-11 hole in the fifth, but they rallied in each with big runs to seal the win.

Caitlin Cox was named the tournament’s most valuable player with 88 total digs on the weekend.

“I had talked with Coach Dunbar, and she told me I wasn’t in the top 10 in the Big Ten (in digs),” Cox said. “That was some extra motivation for me to have a big weekend.”