Indiana volleyball traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and went 2-1 in the Western Kentucky Invitational this weekend. The Hoosiers had a competitive weekend in the Blue Grass State, as they swept Friday’s matches against Texas A&M University and Tennessee Tech University. Indiana then fell short in a tight battle against No. 21 Western Kentucky University on Saturday.
Indiana started its tournament play Friday morning against Texas A&M and was unable to grab the first match of the series. In the second set, the Aggies were forced to call an early timeout after sophomore outside hitter Maddy Saris’ kill led to a 3-0 Hoosier run.
With help from junior outside hitter Morgan Geddes’ pair of kills and a service ace by junior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede, the Hoosiers stretched the lead to 16–10. A final kill by senior middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg gave Indiana a 25-22 second-set win.
[Related: Indiana volleyball falls to NC State, TCU in the NC State Classic]
A service ace by Saris and a pair of kills by Kjolhede helped put Indiana in the lead of the third set 5-1. In the middle of the set, Indiana went on a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 18-12. The match ended with a pair of kills from Geddes and a kill by Saris, resulting in a 25-19 Hoosier victory.
To tie the game at eight apiece, Saris delivered three-straight kills in the fourth set. Texas A&M was forced to take a timeout, but the Hoosiers went on an 8-2 run immediately after this. The game ended with three kills from Geddes and a 25–23 win.
Indiana beat Texas A&M 3-1, and for the first time since 2019, the Hoosiers defeated an SEC opponent.
Friday evening, Indiana returned to Diddle Arena and faced Tennessee Tech University. In the first set, an error by Tennessee Tech and a kill by Geddes led to a timeout by the Golden Eagles, and then an 18-12 lead by the Hoosiers. Indiana continued to dominate in the first set, going on a 7-1 lead to close the set with a 25–15 win.
Freshman outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles provided a pair of kills to give Indiana a 23-11 lead in the second set. Senior setter Emily Fitzner concluded the game on a service ace, allowing Indiana to win the set 25-12. The third set was a tight battle, but after an impressive kill by Saris, the Hoosiers beat Tennessee Tech in straight sets.
Indiana’s final game of the weekend took place Saturday evening and was against No. 21 Western Kentucky University. With the highlight of a service ace by sophomore setter Camryn Haworth, Indiana won the first set 25–19.
The Hoosiers were unable to win another set against the Hilltoppers, with two of the sets being defined by two-point deficits. Western Kentucky won the match 3-1.
The tournament concluded Indiana’s nonconference schedule, and the team now holds a record of 7-5 going into Big Ten play. Indiana will travel to the East Coast next week to face Penn State on Sept. 23 and Maryland on Sept. 25.
