“A team that’s willing to fight,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. “A mature team who knows where we’re going and we’re going in the right direction.”
It wasn’t only about the 10-2 record the Hoosiers came away with. Five of IU’s players were named All-Tournament and two players were given the MVP honor.
For IU, all of preseason has helped it prepare for the Big Ten season and served as a learning experience to push it to the next level, Dunbar-Kruzan said.
“One thing we’re taking away is just the things we’ve focused on from the very beginning,” senior middle blocker Chanté George said. “We need to bring them with us to the Big Ten.”
IU players and coaches talk and focus a lot on four specific standards. These standards are what set the Hoosiers apart from past preseasons they’ve played, said Dunbar- Kruzan, who has coached the Hoosiers for eight seasons.
These standards are the main goals Dunbar-Kruzan has emphasized to the Hoosiers both on and off the court: getting teams out of their system, serving, aggressive hitting and defensive play.
“We stay on the things that have gotten us to 10-2,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “Win or lose, we go back to those standards and see where we are, and we see that vision. Otherwise it’s like, why did we lose?”
Dunbar-Kruzan said these standards have allowed the Hoosires to stay on track during their preseason. The team has also been able to fix mistakes and drive themselves to overcome adversity and become a well-rounded team due to these standards.
The Hoosiers spent a majority of their preseason on the road, only having one weekend tournament on their home court.
Although this proved to be one of the biggest challenges for the Hoosiers during their preseason, it’s something they are glad they prepared for going into the Big Ten.
“The coaches did that for a reason,” junior outside hitter Taylor Lebo said. “I mean we’re very comfortable being in our gym because we’re here 24/7. I think making us uncomfortable made us better, therefore, we were able to succeed at a different level while on the road.”
Other challenges the Hoosiers faced this past season have also led them to what some of the players said they believe to be their biggest achievement: beating Virginia Tech at home.
“It was our first home match, and you could tell that everyone had a completely different attitude,” George said. “I mean, we knew from the beginning we were going to win. It wasn’t an option to lose. We just came out with the energy that you or anyone could see walking into the gym.”
The successful weekend at home was attributed to a confidence the Hoosiers had been working to build along with the standards they had set all season.
The Hoosiers said they believed this confidence was something that set them apart this preseason, allowing them to achieve those 10 wins.
It’s something IU coaches and players said people should watch for going into regular season.
“We have this swag because we’re 10-2,” Lebo said. “That’s a really good record for us and for any team going into the Big Ten season. I think that swag gave us our confidence and the will to win.”
Along with the confidence and “swag” they’ve built from the 10 wins acquired during preseason, George said people should be on the look for the fight they are going to bring with them to regular season.
George said the fight they have is something they bring to every game and that, win or lose.
It allows them to persevere through the adversity and never back down no matter what the challenge, she said.
“We’re a very scrappy team, and we won’t quit or back down from whoever it is,” George said. “It could be the number one team but it doesn’t matter. We’re going to give it our all, and in the end, you’ll see the results that no matter win or lose, we want to give everyone a good show and show everyone that we don’t quit.”
Dunbar-Kruzan said this scrappiness draws the fans and makes IU “a team that you want to get behind.”
She said the improvements the team has made within the past year, along with the will to win, is something to take notice of when watching the upcoming season.
“That’s what fans want at Indiana,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “You’re not going to win every match or win every game in any sport, but you want a team you can really rally behind.”
IU consists of an older team with more mature players this year, Dunbar-Kruzan said. He said it will give them an experienced edge while competing in regular season.
George said the team is excited to finally begin their Big Ten season, moving past preseason.
“I think it’s going to be a battle and it’s going to be tough,” said Dunbar-Kruzan. “We’re going have to play four-to-five set matches all the time in order to win. We’ll need to be OK with that and fight the battle that’s ahead. If they can embrace that with the right mentality they’re going to find success.”
