“I think rivalry week is one of the most exciting weeks in sports,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. “I think we have some great rivalries in the Big Ten in every sport. It’s really fun to be at a school where that means something, not only to players, but to the students at the university.”
IU (12-4) and Purdue (13-2) are travel partners, meaning both teams have been playing the same opponents this season, which has given them similar preparation competitively.
While both teams have beaten Maryland and Rutgers, IU lost to Michigan State, 3-0, and Michigan, 3-1, compared to Purdue’s wins, 3-1 and 3-0 respectively.
After watching game film of the Boilermakers, senior defensive specialist Kyndall Merritt said she thinks the two teams are good match-ups this season.
“Looking back in the past years there wasn’t really any comparison,” Merritt said. “We’re a lot better, bigger, a lot more physical and a lot more confident. I think we’re matched up pretty well.”
Dunbar-Kruzan said this match-up has a different meaning for the team as opposed to its fans. For the Hoosiers, it’s not just about beating the rival Boilermakers. It’s about beating an athletic, ranked team.
IU hasn’t won against Purdue since 2011. During the past eleven years, they have a 3-17 record against the Boilermakers.
“Physically they’re very gifted at the net,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “They’re very good athletes. They hit at a very high level, and we don’t see that often and that’s the challenge. There’s some things we can do against that, and I’m excited about it. We need to be focused on what we can do and what we can control.”
If IU wins twice against Purdue this weekend, both teams will have the same record in regular conference and will be tied in the Big Ten standings.
Although the Boilermakers historically have played better against the Hoosiers, this team isn’t the same as before, according to Merritt.
“We want to just prove everyone wrong,” Merritt said. “We aren’t the same team we were the years before. Coming out there, win or lose, as long as we play our game and our standard that’s all that matters.”
This mentality and confidence is something IU was known for during its preseason.
Dunbar-Kruzan said she is excited the team is getting back to having confidence in their play.
“They’re getting back to the team we were in the non-conference schedule,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We’re starting to believe in ourselves more every day. We had a focused practice, a great meeting with the leadership council, and we need one more good practice before Wednesday.”
During their practices this week, the Hoosiers were focused on bettering their block defense, serving and passing, Dunbar-Kruzan said.
Merritt and Dunbar-Kruzan both said these three things are a strength they noticed during practice Monday, but it’s still not something the team will be sure of until they step onto the court come Wednesday.
“You think your serving is great? Your passing is great,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We’ll find out when the whistle blows.”
