Column: IU volleyball team in familiar territory

A season ago, the Indiana volleyball program swept away the non-conference portion of the schedule before failing to register a win in the first four conference matches of the season.

When the Hoosiers seemed done for the season, they came crawling back to win nine of their final 16 matches before rallying for their best postseason finish in school history.

This season, they could use a little more of that magic, as they are again stuck at zero wins in conference play after four Big Ten matches.

The grueling conference schedule has yet again proven to be a nemesis, but welcome to Big Ten Athletics, where more than half the conference appears in the Top-25 NCAA volleyball rankings this week.

Is the IU volleyball team experiencing a roadblock like last year, or is it subpar this season?

In the offseason, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar received a hefty contract extension. It seemed to be well-deserved after the team posted a program-best Sweet Sixteen appearance a season ago.

A few months later, her team started with an 8-2 record and looked to have another promising season ahead.

Now, three weeks later, this team seems to be far from any sort of promise or success.
IU has been awful since returning from a West Coast road swing last month, which provided just one win in three matches.

The Hoosiers have lost their first four Big Ten Conference matches for the second straight season, and they have not been close to victory in any match.

This weekend’s defeats at the hands of two Illinois institutions leveled the team’s record at a dismal .500 win percentage. No. 1 Illinois took out IU on Friday, 3-1, before Northwestern pummeled the Hoosiers 3-0 Saturday.

“There are a lot of individual inconsistencies,” Dunbar said.

In their last six defeats, the Hoosiers have managed to win only four of the 22 sets.
Something has to change quickly if Dunbar’s extension is to pay off.

“When that light goes on, some people are not stepping up to that challenge, and they are not enjoying the challenge like they need to be at this level,” Dunbar said. “The hunger is not there.”

Despite the struggles, the players cannot afford to hang their heads, or the conference will continue to put a stranglehold on IU.

In three short weeks, IU has plunged to last place in the Big Ten standings.
Sixteen matches remain for IU, and 11 of those are against ranked opponents.

It is time for the senior leadership to grab the reigns and lead the Hoosiers out of the dark hole they have dug themselves into.

No coach can step on the floor and play for her players. Now is the time for the Hoosiers, senior to freshman, to get to University Gym and work to improve their skills both on the floor and in the film room.

The Hoosiers have been mentally ready, it seems, but nothing has worked. It needs to be fixed now if a Sweet Sixteen run is in any deck of cards.

So, what do you think — Is Dunbar overpaid, or is this team underachieving?
The coming weeks are sure to be a telling sign because it is win now or bust for the 2011 campaign.