Indiana University Athletics
INDIANA TRAVELS TO PURDUE, WISCONSIN
10/26/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
INDIANA TRAVELS TO PURDUE, WISCONSIN
THIS WEEK -- The Hoosiers begin the second half of Big Ten Conference play at Purdue and Wisconsin this week. Indiana takes on the Boilermakers Friday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m., in West Lafayette, before playing Wisconsin Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m., in Madison, Wis.
ABOUT THE HOOSIERS -- Indiana (13-6 overall, 4-6 Big Ten) currently is in a three-way tie with Ohio State and Purdue for sixth-place in the league standings. Last week the Hoosiers split play, defeating Michigan 3-0 before losing to Michigan State in four games. Senior Cydryce Carter led the Hoosiers with 16 kills and 13 digs against the Wolverines while Ryann Connors posted 21 kills and 10 digs in IU's loss to the Spartans. Connors continues to lead the team with 4.21 kills per game. Teammate Amanda Welter follows with a 3.78 kill per game average. Welter also leads the team with a .280 hitting percentage. Carter leads the team with 2.93 digs and 1.04 blocks per game while senior Erin Heimann is tops in serving with 32 aces. Freshman Laurie Gardner sets the attack for the Hoosiers, averaging 12.02 assists per game.
LEADERBOARD WATCH -- Senior Ryann Connors is just eight kills shy of becoming the school record-holder for career kills. The 5-11 outside hitter currently has 1,380 kills and needs 1,387 to surpass present career-leader Jen Magelssen (1995-98).
1,000 DIGS -- Middle blocker Cydryce Carter needs just 10 more digs to pick up her 1,000th career dig and move into fourth-place on the record charts. Carter already ranks second all-time for career block assists (357) and is third for total blocks (402).
ROAD WARRIORS -- After this weekend's matches, the Hoosiers will have played eight of their last 12 matches on the road. Prior to the Purdue and Wisconsin matches, IU's record is 2-4 on the road in Big Ten play and 7-4 for the season.
COACH KATIE WEISMILLER -- Katie Weismiller is in her seventh season as Indiana's head coach and carries a 104-106 (.498) school record and an eight-year career mark of 154-128 (.551). Since coming to IU, Weismiller has led the Hoosiers to two postseason NCAA Tournament appearances, the program's first-ever NCAA tournament win and the school's first Top 25 ranking.
ABOUT PURDUE -- The Boilermakers enter Friday's match in a three-way tie with Ohio State and the Hoosiers for sixth-place in the league standings. Purdue's record currently stands at 12-7 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play. Purdue split their matches last weekend, losing to Wisconsin 1-3 before defeating Northwestern 3-2. Outside hitter Aneska Arosarena leads the Boilermakers, averaging 5.50 kills and 2.92 digs per game. Purdue leads the Big Ten in kills and assists, averaging 17.51 and 16.11 per game, respectively. The Boilers are coached by Jeff Hulsmeyer who is in his first season with the program. The Series: Purdue leads the all-time series 38-26. Earlier this month, the Hoosiers defeated Purdue 3-1 to win the annual Monon Spike match in Bloomington. Ryann Connors led IU with 20 kills and 11 digs.
WISCONSIN INFO -- Prior to the Badger's Friday night match against Illinois, UW is in fourth-place in the conference standings with a 13-7 overall, 6-4 league record. The Badgers are led by Jenny Maastricht and Sherisa Livingston who average 3.59 and 3.37 kills per game, respectively. Coach Pete Waite is in his first season with the Badgers after coaching the past 11 seasons at Northern Illinois. The Series: The Badgers lead the all-time series 25-17. Wisconsin defeated IU 3-0 when the two team's met earlier this month in Bloomington.
BALANCED ATTACK -- Although Ryann Connors and Amanda Welter are keyed as IU's two top guns, the Hoosiers really feature a very balanced attack with six players collecting over 100 kills this season. They are: Welter (253), Connors (223), Cydryce Carter (160), Hillary Toivonen (153), Jill Mudge (130) and Laura Mettes (100).
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE -- The Hoosiers are 18-4 at University Gym over the past two seasons. Last year the squad went 12-2 at home while this season, they are 5-1 on their own court.
GOING FOR THE ACE -- Indiana has proven to be a tough serving team this fall, averaging 1.88 aces per game. The Hoosiers rank first in the Big Ten and have out-aced their opponent 126-78. Senior Erin Heimann leads the team and is second in the league with 32 aces, including four she served up against Michigan State Saturday. Other top servers include Cydryce Carter with 19 and Hillary Toivonen with 16.
BY THE NUMBERS -- The Hoosiers currently rank second in the Big Ten for kills (17.13), digs (15.10) and assists (15.21) per game. Individually, Ryann Connors ranks seventh for kills per game (4.15) and Cydryce Carter ranks 10th for blocks (1.04) and eighth for digs (2.88).
RANKED LOSSES -- Five of IU's six losses have been to ranked opponents this season. They were: Illinois (No. 25), Ohio State (No. 25), Penn State (No. 2), Wisconsin (No. 18) and Minnesota (No. 22).
THE BIG HURT -- Right side hitter Amanda Welter continues to lead
the Hoosiers with 253 kills this season and a .378 attack percentage. Welter
has had an impressive junior campaign to date, being named Co-Big Ten Player
of the Week, MVP of both the Florida State Classic and Duke Invitational
and was voted to the HoosierTimes.com Invitational all-tournament team.
