Senior Cox named All-Tournament, team drops two of three matches

Despite the efforts of senior libero Caitlin Cox, the IU women’s volleyball team dropped two of three games at the Hokie Classic in Blacksburg, Va.

Cox, who was named to the All-Tournament team Saturday, led the Hoosiers’ defense with 67 digs in the tournament.

IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said strong leadership at the libero position is an essential part of a team’s success.

“If you ask our players, ‘Who is the most competitive player on our team?’ the overwhelming selection would be Caitlin,” Dunbar said. “That’s the kind of person you look for in that position.”

Although Cox was pleased with her personal success this weekend, she said the players learned a few things about themselves that will help them make adjustments moving forward.

“Our team chemistry on the court needs to get better,” Cox said. “Off the court, our chemistry is great, but we need to start trusting and knowing what to expect from each other. But it takes some time.”

The Hoosiers started the season Friday with a 3-1 win against High Point.

Junior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall led the way on offense with 15 kills and added seven digs on the defensive side. The steady performance of Marschall was  supplemented by junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime’s 11 kills.

Dunbar said the team needs to improve their hitting throughout the year.

“We have three juniors that are very fit and strong this year,” Dunbar said. “They’ve had extensive training time, so it’s time for them to step up. We need them to step up.”

On Saturday, the Hoosiers dropped a match in five sets to Cleveland State.

After falling behind in the final set, the Hoosiers fought off four match points to tie the score at 14 but lost the next two points to lose the match.

The Hoosiers’ defense kept them in the game, and they won the second and fourth sets.

Overall, the team had 13 blocks and 70 digs in the match.

Saturday evening, the Hoosiers wrapped up the weekend play against host Virginia Tech. After winning the first set, IU dropped the next three to finish the weekend at the Hokie Classic 1-2.

Marschall tied her season-high of 15 kills against Virginia Tech.

Setting Marschall up was junior setter Whitney Granado, who dished out 41 assists after missing the match versus Cleveland State.

Freshman middle blocker Morgan Leach started her IU career with 8 blocks against Virginia Tech and 21 in the tournament.

“Morgan Leach did a great job in her first time playing with us,” Cox said. “I remember being really nervous my first game on the bigger stage, but she handled it well.”

The Hoosiers will return to Bloomington to host the IU Classic from Sept. 2 to 3.