IU volleyball played host to the Indiana Invitational, where the Hoosiers faced Virginia Tech, Bowling Green State University and Northern Arizona University.
On Friday, IU took on Virginia Tech where it started out with a strong momentum that stayed for the entirety of the game, resulting in a 3-0 win.
“Our serving really took them out of system,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. “When you take a team out of system you have the control. Definitely going after them right away in our own gym set the tone of the match.”
Indiana then started off the Saturday games against Bowling Green keeping its same momentum from the night before and taking down the Falcons with another 3-0 win.
The Hoosiers attributed their wins to the goals they set and the team effort they put into practices with each other, junior outside hitter Allison Hammond said.
“When you win and you beat a good opponent, you need to enjoy that,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “You don’t need to focus right away on the next match, but tomorrow morning we’ll lock in and get ready for Bowling Green.”
The game against Northern Arizona was anything but a short-and-sweet match.
The Hoosiers went neck-and-neck with the Lumberjacks, as both teams went back and forth acquiring wins from the first four sets tying the teams, 2-2.
It all came down to the fifth and final set of the match.
The Hoosiers took a four-point lead to take down the Lumberjacks and earn the vitory.
“That was a great win for us,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We really dominated them in set four, but more importantly, in set five. We knew Arizona was going to play really well, and we had unbelievable hustle-type plays to change the momentum for our side, plays that I’m not sure they knew they could make.”
However, 3-0 wins weren’t the only accomplishment from the weekend.
Senior outside hitter Amelia Anderson was named MVP of the weekend, while senior defensive specialist Courtney Harnish and senior middle blocker Awele Nwaeze were both named to the All-Tournament team.
“Coming out my senior year and getting MVP feels fantastic,” Anderson said. “I really credit the team though. Everybody did fantastic all three games.”
