About an hour before the match, Indiana volleyball stepped onto the court for pregame stretches in a nearly empty Wilkinson Hall. As the Hoosiers made their way out one by one, junior outside hitter Avry Tatum and senior setter Camryn Haworth were the last to emerge.
Both players were dressed in all-black Indiana street clothes. Tatum wore a boot on her left foot. Both were sidelined for Thursday’s match.
With Haworth out, freshman setter Sade Ilawole got the start, and sophomore setter Luca Fickell also saw increased playing time. Ilwaole and Fickell each recorded 12 and 10 assists, respectively.
“I have a lot of love for how they both competed,” Indiana head coach Steve Aird said postgame. “Was it perfect? No. Did they do everything great? No. But if you’re losing a deuce game to the No. 8 team in the country with two kids who don’t have a lot of experience –– (I’m) more proud than anything else.”
The Badgers swept the Hoosiers, extending their five-game losing streak.
Wisconsin's smallest margin of victory came in the first set, where it edged out Indiana by just 2 points despite committing six service errors and eight attacking errors.
However, the Badgers cleaned up their play as the match progressed, with the margin widening each set, culminating in a 12-point win in the third.
“Good teams adjust,” Aird said. “In game two, it got tougher and then in game three it got tougher. That’s what good teams do.”
Wisconsin’s offense was in full force, totaling 49 kills compared to Indiana’s 29. Fifth-year senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin led the Badgers with 15 kills, while three other players each added at least eight kills.
Indiana’s offense struggled to stay with Wisconsin’s relentless pressure, with no Hoosier reaching double-digit kills. In a reshuffled lineup, graduate student defensive specialist Delaynie Maple moved up to the net instead of her usual spot in the back row. Having never recorded more than one kill in a match before, she tallied eight Thursday.
“I didn’t want to have any regrets,” Maple said. “I was hitting the past four years on sand, so I think I just try to not think too much about it.”
One area Indiana out-competed Wisconsin was behind the service line. The Badgers put up 10 service errors and only two aces, while the Hoosiers only recorded three errors and four aces –– two of which came from Ilwaole.
“It’s always hard to balance serving hard but also keeping it in,” Maple said. “We’re finally kind of getting in that groove of serving tough, putting pressure, but also trying to minimize errors.”
While Tatum and Haworth both sat Thursday, Aird said that both were banged up after the game against Purdue on Oct. 19. Both wanted to play against the Badgers, but Aird made the final call to ensure both are healthy for the second half of Big Ten play.
“We’re going to have them available hopefully later in the year,” Aird said. “I care about them. They’re both going to play volleyball for a long time.”
Indiana aims to get rid of its losing streak, hosting Northwestern at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Wilkinson Hall.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
