Indiana volleyball falls in 3 sets, Texas’ offense proves too much to handle

With Indiana volleyball aiming to take down the defending national champions in the University of Texas at Austin in its home opener, the Hoosiers knew that it would be a challenge.  

Texas’ offense was explosive Thursday, hitting 38.5% as a team and earning 40 kills on the match. Senior outside hitter Madisen Skinner led the Longhorns on the offensive end, earning 14 kills on just 28 attempts. 

Indiana struggled to get the ball to land on the other end of the court, as it tallied 10 service errors. Not a single Hoosier player earned double digits kills, with junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles leading the team with six.  

The Hoosiers let the pressure get to them in set one as Texas dominated, holding the visitors to just 8 points. Indiana had its worst offensive performance to date, hitting -0.083. The Hoosiers also struggled on defense, only tallying up five digs and not recording any blocks. Texas combined for 32 digs on the night, with junior libero Emma Halter earning nine of them. 

Texas quickly took a 6-1 lead, prompting Indiana head coach Steve Aird to call a timeout. Despite the timeout, the Longhorns extended the lead to 14-4, forcing Aird to use his final timeout. The Hoosiers never closed the gap as Texas allowed just four more points after the timeout, winning set one 25-8. 

Indiana's offense remained sluggish in the second set, hitting only 5%, but Texas' seven errors, including five service errors, kept the Hoosiers within reach.  

Skinner powered the Longhorns' comeback, notching seven of her 14 kills in the set. With the score tied at 21, the Longhorns surged on a 4-0 run, highlighted by three straight kills from Skinner. Sophomore middle blocker Marianna Singletary also played a pivotal role in the comeback, contributing four key kills. 

In set three, the Hoosiers didn’t give up easily. They had their best offensive performance hitting 18.9% and earning 12 kills. However, Texas limited its errors from the last match from seven to three, while also earning 15 kills.  

While both teams were tied at nine, Texas took a two-point lead and hung on and never let Indiana take the lead for the rest of the match. 21-19 was the closest the Hoosiers got to taking the lead late in the game, but the Longhorns went on a 5-3 run to win the final set 25-22. 

Indiana suffered its first loss and is now 3-1 this season. The Hoosiers battle the University of Miami at 7 p.m. Friday and aim to walk away with one win in Austin.