Volleyball team seeks first conference win

Still looking for its first win in conference play, the IU volleyball team will play at No. 8 Nebraska on Friday and at Iowa on Saturday.

Nebraska (12-3, 5-1) is coming off its first Big Ten loss to Michigan State last week and is tied with Penn State for second in the Big Ten.

“They are athletically great right now,” IU Assistant Coach Paul Koncir said. “This is probably one of the better teams they have had in a long time.”

The Cornhuskers also opened a brand new arena this year, the Devaney Center, which holds more than 8,000 people. It has been sold out for each match this season, presenting a challenge for the Hoosiers.

“They have a new gym, and a crazy atmosphere,” IU sophomore outside hitter Amelia Anderson said. “Obviously they have great players. Playing our game in their home gym is going to be something that we really need to make sure we do because there is going to be a lot of people there.”

Nebraska is led by senior Kelsey Robinson who marshals the team with 257 kills and is 10th nationally in kills per set, averaging 4.59. Robinson is also the team leader in digs with 212.

Junior Mary Pollmiller leads the Cornhuskers in assists with 572.

“Nebraska is a very good team,” IU junior middle blocker Morgan Leach said. “They are always one of the top teams in the conference since they’ve been here. They have a couple of really good outside hitters that we always need to know where they’re at.”

Following their match with the Cornhuskers, the Hoosiers (8-9, 0-6) will take on Iowa (9-9, 0-6) in a match where neither team currently has a conference win.

“Iowa is somebody that we match up with a little better physically and on paper, but they are much better this year,” Koncir said. “I think we are both pretty hungry teams, and we are going to have to compete really hard again and really work on using our
offense and attacking them in an efficient way.”

The Hawkeyes are led by Alex Lovell, who leads the team in kills with 270. Bethany Yeager has the team lead in digs with 306, while Nikki Dailey has 356 assists and Alyssa Klostermann has 338 assists.

“I think we just need to focus on our side,” Anderson said. “Our talking, all of our communication and following our game plan and just focusing on what we do will really help us.”

One thing IU is looking to do is play a clean game this weekend after recording 58 errors this past weekend.

“Minimizing our errors is a big thing,” Anderson said. “We are still going up for big swings, still going for aces, but trying to take some of the errors out of our game.”

The schedule for the Hoosiers doesn’t get any easier, and the coaching staff is looking to see the team bounce back from recent tough losses.

“I think overall we are looking to see a continued amount of fight,” Koncir said. “We have had some really close matches, and the Big Ten is probably as strong as it has ever been in a season right now, so everyone has a challenge.”

Follow reporter Andrew Vailliencourt on Twitter @AndrewVcourt.