This weekend was all about comebacks for the IU women’s volleyball team.
The Hoosiers traveled to San Marcos, Texas, to compete against Lamar, UTSA and Texas State in the Delta Zeta classic tournament, and they brought home two wins.
IU earned the first win against Lamar, 3-1, followed by a 3-1 loss against UTSA.
However, they came back for their second win against Texas State, 3-2.
“As a team, we found a way to push back,” senior middle blocker Chanté George said. “Usually doesn’t happen after you lose, but taking back that fight and that grip as a team and knowing we’re able to get through anything is something we need to come out like from the very beginning.”
As a native of San Marcos, Texas, George said this weekend was special, as her family and friends came to watch her play for the first time in years.
“It was amazing,” George said. “I really appreciated all the people who came out to see me play. It was a great surprise to have people there who haven’t seen me in a while.”
The excitement to be home didn’t slow down George as she continued to focus on strengthening her defense and helping bring home more wins for her team.
“I struggled finding a way to be involved defensively,” George said. “But my job as a middle block is to gain blocks for my team, and I found a way to turn that up when it mattered.”
The drive to push through and get those wins is what IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said to be the team’s biggest strength this weekend.
“Our biggest strength was definitely our fight,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We were getting our butts kicked by Texas State. This was the first time we were down 0-2 this season, so the results showed that we had some fight in us.”
This tournament was important in helping IU prepare for the Indiana Invitational at home next weekend.
“I think the good thing is all the tournaments have been great competition,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We haven’t played a bad team, and we’re going to see better competition at home. We know what we’re in for. We’re happy to be home and play for our fans.”
The athleticism and height of the teams this past weekend, as well as the teams this upcoming weekend, are also a key to helping the Hoosiers prepare to start playing against other teams in the Big Ten.
“We played a lot of good teams,” George said. “A lot of athletic and taller teams than usual, but it’s getting us ready for teams this weekend who are very athletic and getting us ready for playing in the Big Ten.”
