Michigan State loss puts conference record at 0-5, leaves team frustrated
The frustration was evident on the faces of the IU field hockey team.
The frustration was evident on the faces of the IU field hockey team.
Despite upsetting No. 15 Michigan in game one, the IU volleyball team (13-8, 5-5) lost the next three games to the Wolverines (30-28, 23-30, 18-30, 27-30) Friday night in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Their unbeaten streak stopped at 13 on Friday night, but freshman midfielder Chloe McKay said the IU women’s soccer team is starting a new streak after the Hoosiers came from behind to defeat Oakland University on Sunday.
Suzann Pettersen was prepared for another challenging round in the cold and wind. The Norwegian star ended up holding yet another trophy Sunday without even hitting a shot.
Don’t blame Chad Pennington solely for this one. He had a lot of help. Kenny Watson ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the best performance of his career, and the Cincinnati Bengals turned the New York Jets’ second-half meltdown into a 38-31 victory Sunday. Hardly a drive went by without a major gaffe by two of the NFL’s most disappointing teams.
The offense scored 31 points against a team that was giving up an average of 12. The defense held Penn State to three field goals instead of three touchdowns on goal-line stands. Junior wide receiver James Hardy became IU’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions with 31, adding two on Saturday. But the biggest number of the game for the Hoosiers was four – as in four second half turnovers.
No. 16 Hoosiers earn draw against Ohio State.
Sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis threw for 308 yards and three scores and added another on a 56-yard touchdown run, but also committed three costly turnovers - including one that clinched the game for Penn State with under a minute left in the fourth quarter - as the IU football team fell to 5-3, 2-3 in the Big Ten.
Kelvin Sampson was surrounded by 13,000 of his biggest supporters, but he stood alone at the center of the court at Assembly Hall. For the second year in a row, he had a hard time speaking at Hoosier Hysteria. The crowd wouldn’t give him a chance to talk.
Last week was a lesson. A hard lesson. If this were a Hoosier team of past years, losing 52-27 could very well spell the end of the season. Heads would be hanging low, and team spirit would be lost on and off the field.
The IU football team won’t be the only athletes competing this weekend. The women’s tennis team will head to Nashville, Tenn., to compete in the Vanderbilt Invitational. After competing in the Hoosier Classic two weeks ago, the team has been hard at work perfecting both its singles and doubles play.
After defeating Notre Dame and last year’s Hermann trophy winner, midfielder Joseph Lapira, No.16 IU (9-4-1) will face Ohio State and Hermann hopeful Eric Brunner in Big Ten competition.
The IU volleyball team will travel to face No. 15 Michigan on Friday (16-4, 4-4) for a 7 p.m. date with the Wolverines. Michigan has lost only four games this season and was a perfect 13-0 before losing its first match, equaling the best start in the program’s history. The Wolverines sit in a three-way tie for fourth in the Big Ten, directly below IU, who is tied with Purdue for fourth. The Wolverines have won 10 of the last 15 outings against the Hoosiers, but IU leads the all-time series 32-24-1.
Last season, IU was 5-4 after a win against Michigan State with three games remaining on the schedule. The Hoosiers would have been bowl eligible if they had emerged victorious the following week at Minnesota. Sadly for IU, it was thumped 63-26, and then dropped its remaining two games of the year to finish 5-7 – prolonging the bowl drought.
When the IU field hockey team takes on No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday at the IU Field Hockey Field, the Hoosiers will be looking for their first Big Ten win of the season and a measure of revenge for last season. Last year, Michigan State handed IU two of its five losses, including a 3-1 victory in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, ending IU’s season.
When IU men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson addressed the media Thursday, he wanted to shift the focus from the pending NCAA investigation to this year’s squad.
The IU women’s soccer team finally broke into the national top 25 this week, coming in at No. 24. The Hoosiers will seek to demonstrate that they deserve that recognition as they begin the most trying part of the season.
When IU men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson addressed the media yesterday, he wanted to shift the focus from the pending NCAA investigation to this year’s squad.
IU men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson might have participated in eight three-way phone calls more than originally disclosed by the IU Athletics Department, said IU spokesman
Last night with the Big Ten Network televising the game, the IU volleyball team defeated Purdue 3-1 (31-29, 21-30, 30-25, 30-26).