Indiana volleyball pushed its win streak to three with road wins at Rutgers and Maryland Nov. 1-2. The Hoosiers now return home to Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington for a challenging weekend, hosting No. 9 Purdue in a rematch and welcoming new Big Ten member No. 20 USC.
Indiana opens the weekend aiming to reclaim the Monon Spike against No. 9 Purdue at 7 p.m. Friday in a sold-out Wilkinson Hall with the match streaming on Big Ten+. This match marks the final scheduled meeting between the in-state rivals this season.
The teams last faced off Oct. 19 at Mackey Arena, where Purdue swept Indiana. However, the Hoosiers will look to channel last year’s success at home, when they ended a 21-match losing streak to the Boilermakers with a four-set victory Oct. 11 in 2023. Since the previous contest Oct. 19, Purdue went 3-1 to improve to a 9-3 conference record, with its only loss against then No. 7 Wisconsin, which swept the Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Purdue is currently fourth in the Big Ten standings.
In the first match on Oct. 19, the Hoosiers weren’t at full strength. Indiana head coach Steve Aird noted senior setter Camryn Haworth was "banged up." In the following match against Wisconsin on Oct. 24 at Wilkinson Hall, both Haworth and junior outside hitter Avry Tatum were sidelined. However, both players have returned to the lineup since then.
Purdue senior libero Ali Hornung is someone the Hoosiers need to watch out for. Although she only recorded six digs against Indiana on Oct. 19, she had an impressive 31 digs last weekend against Maryland and Rutgers. Her strong performance earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season.
One area the Hoosiers will need to improve is their performance at the net. Indiana managed just 27 kills across three sets, while Purdue registered 40 kills in their first match. Indiana couldn’t stop junior outside hitter Eva Hudson and senior middle blocker Raven Colvin at the net by Indiana, recording 17 and 12 kills, respectively.
The Hoosiers' second match at Wilkinson Hall is against USC at 4 p.m. Nov. 10 and can be viewed on Big Ten+. The match was rescheduled from Saturday due to Indiana football conflicts.
This season, USC has a 16-6 overall record and an 8-4 conference record, placing it seventh in the standings. The Trojans and Hoosiers haven’t played each other since 2010, when USC swept Indiana. This match will be their only scheduled meeting this season.
As a team, USC excels defensively up at the net. It’s the top team in the conference in blocks with 251. However, redshirt junior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail is the only Trojan who cracks the top 25 in the conference for blocks with 79.
The Trojans finished 19-13 last year, but graduate student outside hitter Ally Batenhorst has been a crucial addition this season. Using her fifth and final year to transfer from Nebraska, where she helped lead the team to last season’s national championship, Batenhorst now leads the Trojans with 320 kills and ranks seventh in the conference. She also boosts the defense with 171 digs and 70 blocks.
Graduate student outside hitter Grae Gosnell will have her homecoming Nov. 10 against Indiana. Gosnell spent the past four seasons suiting up in the Cream and Crimson but decided to use her last season of eligibility out west. In Gosnell’s final season, she’s contributed to USC’s defensive efforts with 138 digs.
If Indiana can defend home court this weekend against Purdue and USC, it could strengthen its chances for a NCAA Tournament bid. The Hoosiers are still seeking their first ranked win of the season, having faced ranked opponents six times so far.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
