IU volleyball faces No. 19 Michigan

When the IU women’s volleyball team extended its losing streak to three games Sept. 23, with a loss to then-No. 18 Michigan in the Big Ten season opener, the Hoosiers could not have predicted a winless month would follow.

After Wednesday’s loss to Michigan State, the team’s losing streak sits at 13 games as the Hoosiers will travel to Ann Arbor for a Saturday night showdown with the now-No. 19 Wolverines.

Last time the teams met, the Wolverines swept the Hoosiers in three sets. Throughout the match, IU had no answer for Michigan’s Lexi Erwin and Alex Hunt, as they led with 14 and 11 kills, respectively.

This time around, if the Hoosiers are going to rebound against the Wolverines, the team must do a better job winning the hitting percentage battle. Last match, the Wolverines dominated with a .358 hitting percentage compared to IU’s meager .100 percentage.

One way the Hoosiers can slow down Michigan’s attack is by getting a lot of block touches in the front row. Junior outside hitter Ivie Obeime said the team needs to do a better job of getting in front of the opponent’s attack quicker.

“It is a lot about getting over early and taking away the shot that they are comfortable with,” Obeime said. “When you get over there early and press over the net, they are required to either get blocked or hit around it, and I think we have just been a little late getting over.”

IU’s outside hitter Kristen Seaton and middle blocker Samantha Thrower look to build on their 10-kill performances against Michigan State on Wednesday.

Seaton, who has battled the injury bug throughout her career, has come on strong in the last week, starting with her 11-kill performance Oct. 19 against Purdue. The big night prompted IU Coach Sherry Dunbar to start Seaton in the last two matches against Wisconsin and Michigan State, where Seaton recorded seven and 10 kills, respectively.

Dunbar said the back-to-back Michigan road trips in one week will not be easy on the team, but it is something that all Big Ten teams have to deal with this year.

“Everyone in the Big Ten is doing odd trips this year with the addition of Nebraska because it changes things around with the travel,” Dunbar said. “The good part is we have enough time to prepare individually for each team, but hopefully missing classes and travel time won’t affect us too much.”