Indiana University Athletics
INDIANA HOSTS TOP RANKED PENN STATE, OHIO STATE
11/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
INDIANA HOSTS TOP RANKED PENN STATE, OHIO STATE
THIS WEEK -- The Hoosiers return to University Gym this weekend, hosting No. 1 Penn State and Ohio State this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5-6, respectively. Both matches being at 7 p.m. (EST). Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children. Indiana University students are admitted free with a valid ID.
ABOUT THE HOOSIERS -- Indiana (14-7 overall, 5-7 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 Purdue 3-1 in West Lafayette before losing to Wisconsin in four games in Madison. Senior Ryann Connors led the Hoosiers with 20 kills and eight digs against the Boilermakers while freshman Hillary Toivonen posted 19 kills and 12 digs in IU's loss to the Badgers. Connors continues to lead the team with 4.20 kills per game. Teammate Amanda Welter follows with a 3.68 kill per game average. Welter also leads the team with a .284 hitting percentage. Carter leads the team with 2.99 digs and 1.01 blocks per game while senior Erin Heimann is tops in serving with 35 aces. Freshman Laurie Gardner sets the attack for the Hoosiers, averaging 12.06 assists per game.
CAREER LEADER -- Senior Ryann Connors became the school record holder for career kills when she passed former standout Jen Magelssen's 1,387 career kills (1995-98) in game two of the match against Purdue last Friday. The 5-11 outside hitter's career kills total now stands at 1,413.
MORE ON CONNORS -- Connors is also chasing down Magelssen's school record for double-figure kill matches. Magelssen's record stands at 75 while Connors enters weekend play with 72 double-figure kill matches.
1,000 DIGS -- Middle blocker Cydryce Carter recorded her 1,000 career dig in the Purdue match last Friday to move herself into fourth-place on the record charts. Carter already ranks second all-time for career block assists (362) and is third for total blocks (408).
ABOUT PENN STATE -- The top-ranked Nittany Lions visit Bloomington with a 22-1 overall record and a perfect 12-0 Big Ten mark. Last week PSU defeated Ohio State 3-1 and Northwestern 3-0. Senior middle hitter Lauren Cacciamani was named this week's Big Ten Player of the Week after collecting 25 kills, 15 digs and 14 blocks against the Buckeyes and then adding 17 kills with no errors against the Wildcats. For the season she is leading the squad with 4.54 kills per game. Head Coach Russ Rose is in his 21st season with the program and carries an impressive 677-121 school and career record. The Series: The Hoosiers have yet to record a victory over the Nittany Lions who are 19-0 against IU. In the two teams' first meeting this season, Indiana lost 6-15, 9-15, 10-15.
OHIO STATE INFO -- Prior to the Buckeye's Friday night match against Illinois, OSU is in a three-way tie for sixth place with Purdue and the Hoosiers. Ohio State is 11-8 overall and 5-7 in Big Ten play. Outside hitter Rosie Snow leads the Buckeye attack this season, averaging 3.96 kills per game. Outside hitter Jen Flynn follows with a 3.01 kills per game average. Head coach Jim Stone is in his 18th season at OSU where he holds a 392-177 record with the program. The Series: The Buckeyes lead the overall series 29-14. Last month Indiana lost 2-15, 9-15, 15-6, 4-15 to the Buckeyes in Columbus.
FROSH PLAY -- One player who has quietly stepped up for the Hoosiers as of late is freshman Hillary Toivonen. In the Hoosiers last six matches, the 5-10 outside hitter has averaged a team-leading 4.13 kills and 2.6 digs per game. During that time she has also registered six double-figure kill matches and four double-figure dig matches.
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 (276), Connors (256), Hillary Toivonen (185), Cydryce Carter (181), Jill Mudge (138) and Laura Mettes (103).
ON THE NATIONAL FRONT -- Nationally, the Hoosiers are ranked 14th for team kills and 19th for team assists, averaging 17.13 kills and 15.16 assists per game, respectively.
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 1.84 aces per game. The Hoosiers rank first in the Big Ten and have out-aced their opponent 138-84. Senior Erin Heimann leads the team and is second in the league with 35 aces. Other top servers include Cydryce Carter with 20 and Hillary Toivonen and Ryann Connors with 16 apiece.
BY THE NUMBERS -- The Hoosiers currently rank second in the Big
Ten for kills (17.13), digs (15.49) and assists (15.16) per game. Individually,
Ryann Connors ranks fifth for kills per game (4.20), Cydryce Carter ranks
seventh for digs (2.95), Laurie Gardner ranks seventh for assists (12.05)
and Amanda Welter ranks 16th in hitting efficiency (.284).
