In a weekend with the odds stacked against the IU volleyball team, the Hoosiers learned a lot about themselves.
IU faced off with No. 2 Minnesota and No. 3 Wisconsin on consecutive days and failed to win a single set in either match.
“We learned from Friday night,” freshman outside hitter Kendall Beerman said. “Playing good teams like that is so fun, and we talked about enthusiasm before the Wisconsin match, and we executed that. It really paid off and we grew a lot from this game.”
IU never seemed to get it going against Minnesota and failed to reach 20 points in a single set in their second consecutive match as they lost 17-25, 15-25 and 17-25.
Senior outside hitter Allison Hammond, nine kills, and freshman defensive specialist Meaghan Koors, 1.000 hitting percentage, led the Hoosiers statistically against the Golden Gophers. IU also got a spark from an unlikely contributor.
Sophomore Jessica Admire had played in only two sets this season prior to getting her number called by IU Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan. The right-side hitter played in just one set but tallied three kills and a .429 hitting percentage in her expanded role.
“When we play hard we can see the things that are working and not working and that allows us to make adjustments,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “We learned that Jess Admire can go in and play as well as she did. We’re recruiting the right kids.”
With a quick turnaround between Friday and Saturday nights’ matches, Dunbar-Kruzan had a strategy-oriented practice Saturday morning.
IU stayed close to Wisconsin throughout the first two sets before getting off to a slow start in set three, an issue that has plagued the Hoosiers this season but had been remedied in every previous set during the weekend after Dunbar-Kruzan made starting strong a point of emphasis in practice this week. They ultimately dropped all three sets in this match as well by scores of 19-25, 21-25 and 15-25.
“I think we could have taken a set off them at least,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “That’s my only disappointment. I actually thought through sets one and two we got better and better and more aggressive and really pressed them. So I was disappointed with the start to the third set because you get down like that and it’s hard to come back.”
IU, with a record of 12-5, 1-3, once again got big lifts from its freshmen and was led in kills by Beerman, who had 11; hitting percentage by Koors with .600; and blocks by middle blocker Deyshia Lofton, 3.
Those young Hoosiers even provided an impressive sequence against the Badgers and combined for three consecutive points. Koors started the trend with a service ace, then Lofton scored with a block and Beerman followed up with a block and point of her own.
“They don’t back down when playing against those types of teams,” Dunbar-Kruzan said. “That’s a really great thing for our future. They love that environment. They have a great competitive spirit about them. They understand how to and they want to compete at this level. I’m thrilled with the way the freshmen competed.”
