After Indiana Volleyball went 3-0 last week at the Indiana Invitational, the Hoosiers prepare for a two-game slate against the University of Notre Dame. First, the Fighting Irish host the Hoosiers on Friday, then Indiana hosts Notre Dame on Sunday.
These two games against the Fighting Irish will be the last of the Hoosiers’ non-conference schedule, before opening Big Ten conference play out west at the University of Washington and University of Oregon on Sep. 27 and 28.
While Indiana and Notre Dame come from the same state, they haven’t faced off against each other in over two decades. The last time these two teams met was in 2003 at Notre Dame, where the Fighting Irish took home the victory in four sets. Indiana trails in the all-time record going 5-7.
While the Fighting Irish earned an 11-15 record last season, they’ve turned it around this season going 6-1 so far, with their only loss to Big Ten opponent, the University of Michigan, on Sep. 7 in four sets.
Senior setter Phyona Schrader has been an all-around challenge for opponents this season. In Notre Dame's last two matches, Schrader notched triple-doubles in both, tallying 21 kills, 19 assists and 13 digs against Northwestern University, followed by 11 kills, 28 assists and 14 digs against Colorado State University. Her outstanding performances earned her ACC Setter of the Week honors.
On the offensive end, senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo has an arm that teams have trouble stopping. Palazzolo, a transfer from High Point University, began play for Notre Dame last year, where she earned All-ACC Second Team honors. Palazzolo currently leads the teams in kills with 97 and averages 3.56 kills per set.
If Indiana wants to hang with Notre Dame, they’ll need to cut back on errors from behind the serving line. The Hoosiers have already earned 108 errors from behind the line in just eight games, compared to the Irish who have only tallied 61 in seven games.
During the invitational, the Hoosiers had their two worst serving performances of the season as a team in back-to-back games, where they tallied 16 errors against the University of Southern Indiana and then 17 errors against Ball State University.
The first game between the Fighting Irish and the Hoosiers is at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Purcell Pavilion and can be viewed on ACCNX. Then, the final match is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Wilkinson Hall and can be viewed on Big Ten +.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
