Volleyball Opens Big Ten with Northwestern

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After they finished the non-conference portion of their schedule 11-2, the Hoosiers get into Big Ten play by hosting Northwestern on Wednesday Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. The match will be a Red Out, so fans are encouraged to wear red and support the Hoosiers.

The 2016 Hoosiers
IU head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan enters her 10^th season at the helm for the Indiana volleyball program with high hopes for this season. Although the team graduated five seniors they bring in six newcomers, including a freshmen class of five, which was ranked No. 29 in the country by PrepVolleyball.Com.

Looking Ahead
On Saturday the Hoosiers travel to Purdue for a 7:00 p.m. match that will be played inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The Hoosiers are back at home to host Minnesota on Friday September 30 and Wisconsin on Saturday Oct. 1. Both matches will start at 7:00 p.m.

Records and Milestones
On Friday Sept. 16 senior Megan Tallman was presented with a special game ball for reaching her 3,000^th career assist. Tallman currently ranks fifth on the Hoosiers all-time list for career assists with 3,364. Senior Taylor Lebo moved into seventh on the Hoosiers all-time list for career aces and now has 117. Lebo also passed 900 career digs and has tallied 936 for her career. Earlier this season against Campbell, IU head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan earned her 250^th career win.

Thoughts from Head Coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan
On win against Cleveland State to win Hoosier Classic
"I take away a lot from the weekend. The loss to Arkansas State and as a whole we were unhappy about not following our gameplan. Sitting in the locker room knowing we had two big matches the next day and trying to figure out how our team was going to handle it and I guess I shouldn't worry. We have a resilient bunch and they were locked in against IUPUI and Cleveland State. I'm very proud of the wins. I'm more proud of the style that we played today in how locked in they were to the gameplan and making adjustments even during the match."

Hoosiers in Big Ten and NCAA Ranks
The Hoosiers .297 hitting percentage ranks fourth in the Big Ten and ninth in the NCAA. Senior Jazzmine McDonald is a big part of that as she ranks first in the Big Ten and eighth in the NCAA in hitting percentage at .427. In aces the Hoosiers rank fist in the Big Ten in total aces with 94 and second in aces per set at 2.04/set. Indiana ranks seventh in the NCAA in total aces and aces per set. Senior Allison Hammond ranks second in the Big Ten and 27^th in the NCAA in aces per set at 0.49/set. Senior Taylor Lebo is right behind at 0.48 aces/set which ranks third in the Big Ten. Lebo ranks 22^nd in the NCAA in total aces with 22.

Fresh Faces Impress
The Indiana freshmen class (ranked No. 29 in the country going into the season) has made an impact in their short time at Indiana. Seven players that did not play for the Hoosiers in 2015 haved played in the 2016 season. (including six freshmen). Hayden Huybers among freshmen in the Big Ten ranks first in hitting percentage, third in aces, fifth in blocks and seventh in kills. Kendall Beerman ranks fourth in the Big Ten among freshmen in hitting percentage and fifth in kills. Beerman has 111 kills for the season. Deyshia Lofton leads the Hoosiers in blocks per set at 1.00/set and is third on the team with 25 for the season.

Hitting it Lights Out
The Hoosiers are currently fourth in the Big Ten and ninth in the NCAA in hitting percentage at .297. The Hoosiers have hit .400 or better in four matches this season. Against Princeton the Hoosiers set the third best hitting percentage in school history for a three-set match at .500. In the Hoosiers most recently win against Cleveland State they hit .400 with 49 kills and nine errors on 100 attempts.

Follow the Hoosiers on Social Media
Facebook: Indiana Volleyball
Twitter/Instagram: @IUVolleyball
Snapchat: IUVB_Hoosiers

Watch IU Volleyball on BTN2GO
IU volleyball broadcaster Lucas Corley will broadcast this match, streaming on BTN Plus on BTN2GO. Links to the broadcasts can be found on the Hoosiers schedule page.

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Players Mentioned

Kendall Beerman

Hayden Huybers

Deyshia Lofton