Indiana Volleyball Splits Weekend Matches at Rutgers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's two matches in Piscataway Friday and Saturday showed just how much the Hoosiers' young team is growing every match.

On Friday afternoon, Indiana won its first set of the season, taking set number one against Rutgers 25-18. It felt like this was Indiana's chance to get its first win of the year, but then things started to change.

Rutgers gained some momentum in the second set, taking it 25-17 to even things 1-1.

This is a different Rutgers team from the past couple of years with a brand new coaching staff, and Indiana head coach Steve Aird said if Indiana wasn't careful, the Scarlet Knights could present a lot of challenges.

On Friday, the Hoosiers let the Scarlet Knights find some momentum, and Indiana couldn't grab it back. Indiana went on to lose the next two sets 25-19 and 25-20 to drop the match 3-1 to Rutgers.

It was Indiana's first-ever loss to Rutgers. The program was previously 12-0 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.

But the very next day provided a whole new opportunity for Indiana.

The Hoosiers once again took the first set, winning it 25-19. Indiana kept that momentum this time, also taking the second set 25-15.

With a two-set lead, Indiana got a little too comfortable in the third set. The Hoosiers couldn't muster up any offense and dropped the third set 25-9. It was the lowest point total Indiana has scored in a set this season.

But unlike the match on Friday, Indiana didn't allow Rutgers' confidence to carry over into the fourth set. The Hoosiers were able to take care of business and win a close fourth set 25-23 to pick up their first win of the season 3-1.

"I thought we started on time and played well through the first two sets," Aird said. "We showed character and resiliency to come back in the fourth set."

Freshman Tommi Stockham led Indiana on Saturday with 16 kills. She also added nine digs and came up big in the fourth set, where she had six kills on 10 attempts.

Sophomore Haley Armstrong recorded her second-straight 20 digs match and added two aces and six assists. Armstrong had seven of her 20 digs in the deciding fourth set.

Indiana also got good production from their middle blockers as Savannah Kjolhede and Leyla Blackwell combined for 15 kills. Kjolhede had nine kills with two errors for a .412 hitting percentage. Blackwell led the Hoosiers in blocks with six on the day.

"We had young people make big plays when we needed them," Aird said.

Indiana is now 1-3 on the season with two matches coming up next weekend against Iowa in Iowa City on Feb. 5 and 6.

It's all about continuing to be competitive and gaining experience for Indiana.

"It's hard to win in this conference and we are fortunate to leave Rutgers with a split," Aird said. "We have to find a way to keep battling and that is a skill. I was proud of our effort today. Rutgers plays very hard and they challenged us, especially with their serving. My goal with this spring season is to accumulate experience for a team that has a lot of potential."