After snapping a five-game losing streak Sunday inside Wilkinson Hall against Northwestern, Indiana volleyball looks to build a winning streak on the road against Rutgers on Friday and Maryland on Saturday.
Rutgers
Indiana’s first matchup features Rutgers — the only winless team in Big Ten play.
The Scarlet Knights are 5-16 overall and 0-10 in conference. The teams met twice last season, with Indiana winning in four sets in Piscataway, New Jersey, and sweeping Rutgers in Bloomington. Friday marks the only scheduled matchup between the two teams this season.
Rutgers has struggled on both sides of the court, ranking 17th in the conference in kills and last in digs with 819. However, the Scarlet Knights closely compete with Indiana at the service line, ranking eighth in the Big Ten with 114 aces, while Indiana follows closely at ninth with 113. Junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Lexi Visintine and freshman setter Lily Bolen lead Rutgers with 26 aces each.
Freshman middle blocker Natalie Robinson has made a strong defensive impact in her first season with the Scarlet Knights. She’s recorded 89 blocks at net — tying for sixth in the conference.
Maryland
Indiana’s second match of the weekend is against Maryland. The Terrapins are 10-11 overall but 1-9 in conference, with their only win coming against Rutgers on Oct. 5. Last season, Indiana defeated Maryland in both matchups. Maryland ranks 15th in kills in the conference but has tallied 931 compared to the Hoosiers' 907.
The Terrapins are first in the Big Ten in service aces with 164, thanks in large part to graduate student pin hitter Samantha Schnitta, who leads the conference with 58. Schnitta is also key to Maryland’s offensive success, as she leads the team with 251 kills.
Maryland has a very experienced team with numerous players leaving after the season: Eight are seniors or graduate students. Terrapins don’t have many first-year players — only three freshmen on the team.
Senior setter Camryn Haworth is close to breaking Indiana’s all-time aces record, needing just two more to surpass the program’s all-time leader Jen Magelssen, who played for the Hoosiers from 1995-98. Currently at 196 career aces, she is also set to become the fourth Big Ten player in the rally era to reach 200 aces while playing all four years at one school.
If the Hoosiers secure two wins this weekend, their RPI will likely rise from its current rank of 63. At 10-10, two wins would boost the Hoosiers above .500, strengthening their case for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Indiana faces off against Rutgers at 7 p.m. Friday at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. It will then take on Maryland at 7 p.m. Saturday inside the XFINITY Center Pavilion. Both matches can be viewed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
