In this weekend’s road trips for IU volleyball, it squared off against two Big Ten teams on the opposite end of the standings. On Friday, No. 8 Penn State entered with a conference record of 10-2, while Rutgers entered at 2-11.
Penn State played IU on Friday night, winning in straight sets in the first of two matchups between both schools this season. After a close first set (25-21), the Nittany Lions found their groove and won the next two sets by 12 points and 7 points, respectively.
Sophomore outside hitter Breana Edwards led IU with 12 kills, while senior middle blocker Jacqui Armers’ .538 hitting percentage was by far the best on the team. Armer was second on the team with eight kills.
The next night, an easier opponent in Rutgers presented itself to IU. This time, it was IU winning in straight sets (25-18, 25-14, 25-17), snapping a nine-match losing streak that spanned over a month.
In a well-rounded effort from the Hoosiers, the team hit .359 and tallied 10 blocks, paced by Edwards with 13 kills and three blocks
The win evened up IU and Rutgers in the Big Ten standings with both teams now sitting at 2-12, tied for 12th. Saturday marked the only meeting between the two teams this year.
Next weekend, IU is back home against Maryland and Ohio State. Maryland beat IU in five sets back on Oct. 16, while IU has yet to play Ohio State, who is currently 6-7 in conference.
