Miami, Florida might be home to Mr. 305 himself, Pitbull, but for the weekend of Sept. 15 and 16, Indiana volleyball will be invading the 305 area code. In the final weekend of the Hoosiers’ non-conference schedule, the Hoosiers will play in the five-team 305 Challenge.
Indiana volleyball is the only non-Floridian school involved in the challenge, with a field including Stetson University, University of Miami, Jacksonville University and Florida International University.
The Hoosiers will play their first of two doubleheaders against the Stetson Hatters at 11 a.m. Friday in the Ocean Bank Center on FIU’s campus. The Hoosiers and Hatters have only met one time before in 2019, when the Hoosiers won the match three sets to one at home in Bloomington.
The second game of their Friday doubleheader is against the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have already played two Big Ten teams this season, beating Maryland in a three-set sweep and losing to No. 1 Wisconsin in three sets. The Hoosiers are 1-5 all-time against the Hurricanes, with the most recent matchup ending with Indiana winning three sets to two in 2010.
The Hoosiers begin their second straight doubleheader 11 a.m. Saturday against Jacksonville. The Dolphins are coming off three losses at the Bulldog Classic hosted by the University of Georgia last weekend.
Indiana will close out its non-conference schedule against host Florida International. The Hoosiers and the Panthers have only played once before in 2019, when the Hoosiers won three sets to one.
The Hoosiers’ offense has heated up throughout the nonconference slate. Graduate middle blocker Kaley Rammelsberg is coming off winning Most Valuable Player for the Stacheville Invitational Sept. 8 and 9 in Clarksville, Tennessee. Rammelsberg finished the three-match weekend with 23 blocks and 25 kills with a .404 hitting percentage.
Junior setter Camryn Haworth is only 106 assists away from 2,000 career assists. Haworth is averaging 9.62 assists per set and could break the 2,000 assists threshold this weekend in their four-match challenge.
The Hoosiers look to encompass one of Pitbull's famous phrases, “There’s no losing, only learning,” as they finish out their nonconference slate and prepare for the daunting Big Ten conference schedule that awaits them after the 305 Challenge.
