It could be seen was clear after every point.
Whether it was junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles' electric cross-court kill or senior outside hitter Kenzie Daffinee’s pinpoint service ace that scraped the back line, Indiana volleyball was locked in and determined to take down Michigan.
In the first match of its final homestand, Indiana secured a four-set victory over Michigan
on Wednesday inside Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington.
While the Hoosiers’ NCAA Tournament hopes have faded, Sunday’s loss to Ohio State still
stung, especially because Indiana had a two sets to one advantage in that match. And even with two matches left in the regular season, Indiana head coach Steve Aird still wants to finish strong for the seniors and for the fans.
“A lot of it comes back to playing hard and playing with emotion,” Aird said postgame. “I expect us to do that Friday.”
Even though Indiana won in four sets, Michigan gave it numerous challenges, losing the first and fourth set by 4 points or less. And the Wolverines took the second set from the Hoosiers in deuce. The only set that felt decided was the third set, which Indiana won 25-18 –– the largest margin of victory of each set.
With the Wolverines being one of the top teams in the conference at the net, the Hoosiers challenged them all night in a reshuffled lineup that brought sophomore middle blocker Ava Vickers into the starting rotation. However, junior middle blocker Madi Sell led the way with five blocks.
Michigan also gave Indiana some trouble as well at the net as it out-blocked the Hoosiers 13-9 with five blocks each coming in the first and third sets.
“I thought we struggled at times, but when we’re good, we’re blocking balls and playing good defense and then with the ability to transition,” Aird said.
With Indiana notching more kills than Michigan, 61-45, the Hoosiers led a balanced attack Wednesday as three Hoosiers reached double-digit kills. But Alonso-Corcelles was key to the offense, tallying a career-high 25 kills. It marks the third consecutive match she’s tallied 20 or more kills. The last time this season a player who reached 25 kills was junior outside hitter Avry Tatum against Ball State University on Sept. 14.
“It’s a group to be around,” Alonso-Corcelles said. “We are smiling all the time and have fun and that for me is the most important thing, have fun on the court.”
Senior setter Camryn Haworth has been a major part of Alonso-Corcelles’s success, as she dished 46 assists Wednesday, which just put her over the 1,000 assists mark for the third season in a row.
“I think she’d be the first to tell you that Camryn has got the ball to her,” Aird said. “She’s just been playing really good volleyball.”
Indiana has its final match of the season at 7 p.m. Friday against Illinois at Wilkinson Hall. The match will also be senior night for seven players on the team. The contest can be viewed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
