After last week’s losses to Iowa on Nov. 14 and Nebraska on Nov. 16 on the road, Indiana volleyball returns home to Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington to host its final new Big Ten opponent, UCLA. Then, the Hoosiers have a one-day break before they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State.
These two matches are key for Indiana, as it now sits on a four-game losing streak for the second time this season. The first time this happened in conference play, three of Indiana’s four losses came to ranked opponents — No. 14 Minnesota, No. 3 Penn State and then-No. 10 Purdue. Indiana also lost to unranked Illinois.
UCLA on Friday
UCLA is the final new addition to the Big Ten that Indiana hasn’t yet faced. However, the Hoosiers have struggled against the conference’s new additions, losing to Washington and Oregon on Sept. 27 and 28, and USC on Nov. 10. This match against the Bruins will be the only scheduled contest that takes place between the two teams this year.
This season, UCLA is 12-13 overall, 6-10 in Big Ten play and tied for 10th place in the conference with Michigan. With a strong finish in its final four matches, the Bruins could make a case for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
One of UCLA’s biggest struggles in conference play has been closing out matches. The Bruins have pushed five opponents — four of them ranked in the top 25 — to five sets but have fallen short every time in the deciding set.
Indiana has a chance to exploit UCLA’s defensive struggles at the net. The Hoosiers rank 16th in the conference with 198 blocks, while the Bruins rank last with 195. Though Indiana has faced its own blocking challenges, it’s unusual to face an opponent with similar difficulties.
The match against UCLA is at 7 p.m. Friday can be viewed on Big Ten+.
Ohio State on Nov. 24
Indiana will travel east to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Buckeyes in Covelli Center. This will be the Hoosiers' last away match of the regular season as the final two matches against Michigan and Illinois are at Wilkinson Hall. These two teams met previously this season toward the beginning of Big Ten play Oct. 6 in Bloomington, when Indiana outlasted Ohio State in four sets.
Last match, graduate student outside hitter Emily Londot plagued the Hoosiers for most of the match. While the Hoosiers only held her to one kill in the first set, she tallied 22 kills in the other three sets, which head coach Steve Aird said was “unreal.”
Indiana has had its struggles against Ohio State over the years, as it’s only won 10 of the 44 matches on the road against the Buckeyes. The Hoosiers' last win in Columbus came in 2022, when they outlasted the then-No. 5 Ohio State in five sets.
Since the Oct. 6 match, the Buckeyes have gone 5-7, including a five-game losing streak. This has pushed them to 5-11 in Big Ten standings, which ties them for 12th with the Hoosiers.
If the Hoosiers win their final four conference games, it could boost their NCAA Tournament resume for an at-large bid, which they would find out Dec. 1. With three of those matches at home, where they are 8-4 compared to 3-9 on the road, Indiana has a chance to finish strong.
The contest against Ohio State is at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Covelli Center. The game can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
