Weekly Release #9

10/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Volleyball Weekly Release: Iowa and Minnesota

Last Week
Fri., Oct. 18 at Illinois W, 3-2 (31-33, 30-15, 30-24, 24-30, 15-9)
Sat., Oct. 19 at Purdue W, 3-2 (30-23, 31-33, 23-30, 30-16, 15-12)

Upcoming
Fri., Oct. 25 vs. Iowa - 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 26 vs. Minnesota - 7:00 p.m.

Indiana Captures two Big Ten road victory: On Friday, Oct. 18 the Hoosiers defeated No. 32 Illinois, marking only the second time since 1984 that the Hoosiers were victorious in Champaign, including a win in 2000.

Indiana was led by the stellar defensive play of senior Libero Hillary Toivonen (Muncie, Ind./Burris) and sophomore Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) on offense. Toivonen recorded a season-high 22 digs, while Zimmerman notched 60 assists. Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West), Katie Pollom (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), and Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) also performed well, recording 23, 17, and 16 kills, respectively. Indiana recorded a hitting percentage of .215, while Illinois could only muster a hitting efficiency of .071.

Indiana continued its winning streak, on Saturday, Oct. 19 defeating Purdue, 3-2 (30-23, 31-33, 23-30, 30-16, 15-12).

After three games Purdue took a 2-1 lead. Indiana came back and won game four 30-16, tying the match at two games a piece. In game five, IU overcame a 12-11 deficit to win, 15-12. The victory was Indiana's third Big Ten win in a row, marking the first time since the final three matches of the 1999 season that the Hoosiers accomplished such a feat. It also marked the first time that Indiana won two consecutive Big Ten road matches since it defeated Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota on the road in October of 1995.

Against Purdue, Melissa Brewer led the Hoosiers, recording 22 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Victoria Zimmerman surpassed her performance from the night before, recording a career-high 73 assists and Katie Pollom, Christina Archibald, and Nikki Hill (Muncie, Ind./Central) tallied 19, 17, and 17 kills, respectively. For Purdue, Joanna Lowry led the way with 20 kills.

Indiana Making Its Mark: In the most current NCAA polls, Indiana ranks 15th nationally in assists with 1194, 14.93 per game as a team and 20th in kills with 1313, 16.41 per game.

According to the USA Today/AVAC polls, IU is now tied for 34th in the nation and receiving votes for the top-25.

Illinois and Purdue in Review: On Friday evening, Indiana continued its its stellar play in Champaign, Ill., as the Hoosiers defeated No. 32-ranked Illinois, 3-2.

In the win over the Illini, senior libero Hillary Toivonen (Muncie, Ind./Burris) recorded a season-high 22 digs, while Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) notched 60 assists.

On Saturday night, the Hoosiers came back from a 2-1 deficit to record a win over Purdue, 3-2. Indiana won game four, 30-16, and captured game five, 15-12.

Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) led the way, recording 22 kills, as setter Victoria Zimmerman set a new career high with 73 assists.

Attendance Record in the Books: A crowd of 1,022 at the University Gymnasium witnessed Indiana's 3-2 victory over No. 15 Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 12. The attendance figure tied the ninth-best mark in school history in matches played at the University Gym. It was also tied the fourth-highest University Gym attendance in a match not played against Purdue.

Brewer's Blasts...and a little Pollom too: Junior middle blocker Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) turned in one of the finest weekends of her career in matches vs. Northwestern and No. 15 Wisconsin over the weekend of Oct. 11-12. In two matches, the middle blocker recorded 43 kills on a total of 74 attempts with only seven errors for a hitting percentage of .486. She also recorded seven block assists. In Indiana upset win over the Badgers, she recorded a career-high 25 kills and six block assists. Junior Katie Pollom also recorded a career-high 19 kills against the Badgers.

A Look Ahead to Iowa and Minnesota: Iowa is coming off two home match losses to Minnesota, 1-3, and Penn State, 0-3.
Iowa dropped its sixth Big Ten match of the season to eighth-ranked Penn State on Oct. 16. Renee Hill led the Hawkeyes with 17 kills and 18 digs.

On Oct. 18, ninth-ranked Minnesota defeated Iowa, 3-1. Hill, Laura Simpson and Jitka Stehnova all produced double-doubles for Iowa.

Hill leads the Hawkeyes in kills with 3.75 per game, while Pam Kavadas leads the team in digs with 3.56. Stehnova leads the team in assists, averaging 11.53 per game.

As of the October 21 USA Today/AVCA rankings, Minnesota moved to eighth in nation. This marks the sixth straight week that the Golden Gophers have been ranked in the Top 10.

Lindsey Vander Well was named Big Ten co-player of the week for the second time this season after her performance against Iowa where she tied the record for assists with 74.

In its most recent game, Minnesota defeated Penn State (previously ranked eighth), 3-0. The Golden Gophers had 53 kills to Penn State's 36, while scoring seven service aces. The win marked the first time in school history that Minnesota has defeated three top-10 teams in a season.

Indiana against Iowa and Minnesota: Indiana leads the series over the Hawkeyes 23-19. Last year the Hoosiers defeated Iowa 3-2 in Iowa City and 3-1 at University Gymnasium.

In series history, Minnesota leads Indiana, 12-30. In 2001, the Hoosiers fell twice to the Golden Gophers, 3-0 and 3-2.

Archibald Off to Torrid Start: One year after earning Big Ten all-freshman team honors, outside hitter Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) has quickly dismissed any notion that she may go through a sophomore slump. On September 23, Archibald was recognized as the Big Ten's Player-of-the-Week, becoming only the 11th Indiana volleyball player (on 15 previous occasions) to earn the honor. This fall, Archibald leads the Hoosiers in kills (361) and kills per game (4.51). She is second on the team in digs (2.38 per game), trailing only senior libero Hillary Toivonen (3.11).

Spreading the Wealth: Five Indiana volleyball players earned all-tournament team honors in 2002. At the Northern Illinois Invitational (8/30-31), Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) and sophomore Katie Pollom (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) earned all-tournament honors and junior middle blocker Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) was recognized as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. At the TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic (Sept. 6-7), Pollom and Archibald were named to the all-tournament team. At the Terrapin Invitational (Sept. 13-14), Archibald was named to the all-tournament team for the third consecutive week. She was joined on the team by senior libero Hillary Toivonen (Muncie, Ind./Burris). At the IU Credit Union Classic, junior Nikki Hill got into the mix, earning her first all-tournament recognition of the season, despite being one of the Hoosiers' most consistent players in 2002. She was joined on the all-tourney team by Archibald and Brewer.

Win Over 11th-Ranked Ohio State Marks Huge Day for Weismiller: Indiana's 3-1 upset victory over 11th-ranked Ohio State on September 25 marked head coach Katie Weismiller's 200th career coaching victory and her 150th at Indiana. Now in her tenth season at Indiana, Weismiller has led the volleyball program to unprecedented heights. After taking over a program that was 6-23 prior to her arrival, Weismiller led the Hoosiers to a .500 record in only her second season in Bloomington. In her third season, the Hoosiers finished with a 20-14 overall mark, including a 12-8 record in the Big Ten Conference, and earned the school's first-ever NCAA tournament bid. Indiana made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in 1998 and 1999, advancing to the second round of the tournament on both occasions. Prior to Indiana, Weismiller was the head coach at Saint Louis University (1989-90), prior to serving as an assistant at the University of Florida (1991-92).

Six Wins away from Milestone: Head coach Katie Weismiller (Texas-Arlington, '88) is only six victories shy of becoming Indiana's all-time winningest volleyball coach in terms of victories (Ann Lawver, 158 wins from 1975-82).

Two New Assistants Join IU Staff: Tenth-year head coach Katie Weismiller's staff underwent major changes this offseason as two new assistant coaches are strolling the IU sidelines for the first time. Cydryce Carter (Indiana '00) joins the Indiana staff after spending two seasons as an assistant at Southwest Texas State. As a standout player at Indiana under Weismiller, Carter finished her impressive career among Indiana's top 10 in digs, service aces, block assists, and total blocks. She twice earned Academic All-America honors.
Ryan Theis (Wisconsin-Milwaukee, '00) begins his first season at Indiana after spending the past two seasons as the top assistant and head recruiter for the women's volleyball program at Eastern Illinois University. He helped lead the Panthers to a 21-9 overall mark in 2001.

Brewer an Academic All-America Candidate: Junior Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North), a first-team All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection in 2000, is a leading candidate to earn Academic All-America honors before her career reaches its conclusion. In 2001, the 6-foot-1 middle blocker recorded 340 kills and a .242 hitting percentage in 28 matches. She led the team with 110 blocks and finished second on the club with 212 digs. In the classroom, she earned Academic All-District V honors and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team. She also received the Balfour Award, which recognizes student-athletes who have brought honor and distinction to Indiana University. Brewer began the 2002 season where she left off, earning Most Valuable Player honors at the Northern Illinois Best Western Invitational (8/30-8/31). On the weekend, Brewer recorded a .415 hitting percentage, to go along with 46 kills in 10 games.

At the IU Credit Union Classic (9/20-21), Brewer was named to the all-tournament team. In a 3-1 victory over No. 30 Louisville, she recorded 14 kills and a .462 hitting percentage. She also led the Hoosiers in kills with 24 kills in an upset victory over 11th-ranked Ohio State (9/25).

Versus Northwestern and No. 15 Wisconsin (Oct. 11-12), Brewer turned in one of the finest weekends of her career. In two matches, the middle blocker recorded 43 kills on a total of 74 attempts with only seven errors for a hitting percentage of .486. She also recorded seven block assists. In Indiana upset win over the Badgers, she recorded a career-high 25 kills and six block assists.

With 78 block assists in 20 matches this fall, Brewer has now moved into fifth place on IU's career block assist list with 287.

The list is as follows:
1. Cydryce Carter (1996-99) 405
2. Julie Goedde (1986-89) 393
3. Liz Armbrustmacher (1985-88) 320
4. Anne Eastman (1991-94) 287
5. Melissa Brewer (2000-present) 287

Hill Receives National Recognition: Nikki Hill, a 5-foot-11 junior outside hitter from Muncie, Ind. (Central) received national recognition this past spring when she was named as a recipient of the Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar Award, which is sponsored by Black Issues in Higher Education. The award is presented to student-athletes of color who have maintained a grade point average of 3.2 or higher and have demonstrated a record of service to the campus or community. Hill has played very well throughout the season and through 18 matches is averaging 2.93 kills, 2.19 digs, and 0.40 blocks per game. She was named to the all-tournament team at the IU Credit Union Classic.

Pollom Selected as Captain: Junior/sophomore Katie Pollom, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Indianapolis, Ind. (Cathedral High School) is serving as Indiana's team captain in 2002. What makes this rare is that Pollom, another potential Academic All-America candidate as her career continues, saw the first action of her career last fall, appearing in 71 games over the course of 23 matches, and is only a sophomore in eligibility, despite having junior academic status. In 2001, Pollom finished second on the team with 68 total blocks and finished fifth on the team with 129 kills. In 2002, she was named to the all-tournament team at the NIU Best Western Invitational. In a 3-0 victory over IUPUI, Pollom recorded a hitting percentage of .875. Pollom was again recognized the next week as she was named to the all-tournament team at Indiana's TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Invitational. Through 20 matches, she is second on the team with a .294 hitting percentage and is third with a 3.35 kills per game average. She recorded a career-high 19 kills in a 3-2 victory over Purdue on 10/19/02.

The Libero Position - Tailor Made for Toivonen: Collegiate volleyball has undergone a major rules change in 2002 with the institution of the libero. The libero is a designated back-row player, intended to be used as a ball-control specialist. The libero is allowed to replace any player in the back row without counting as a substitution. There is no limit to the number of libero replacements a team is allowed. The pronunciation is "LEE-bah-ro." The color of the libero's uniform must contrast from the color of her teammates' uniforms. The libero's shorts must be the same as her teammates'. The style and trip of the designated libero's uniform may differ from her teammates'. The referees will ultimately decide if the contrast is sufficient. Head coach Katie Weismiller strongly believes that the position will benefit senior Hillary Toivonen more than anyone else on the Hoosier roster.

"Playing the libero position will only highlight her best assets, which are passing and defense. She'll also provide great leadership."

As a junior in 2001, Toivonen played in all 28 matches and in 103 of 106 possible games in 2001. An excellent defender, she recorded a team-high 235 digs, joining Melissa Brewer (212) and Christina Archibald (203) as the only other Hoosiers to record 200-or-more. She was third on the team with 194 kills and also recorded five double-doubles.

This fall, Toivonen was named to the all-tournament team at the Terrapin Invitational (Sept. 13-14). She recorded the 1,000th dig of her career in a 3-2 victory over Butler (9/21/02). Through 20 matches, she leads the Hoosiers with 3.11 digs per game.

Toivonen Records 1,000th Career Dig: With 43 digs at the IU Credit Union Classic (Sept. 20-21), senior libero Hillary Toivonen (Muncie, Ind./Burris) moved from seventh to third place in career digs. In doing so, she also recorded her 1,000th career dig in a match vs. Butler. With 10 digs at Michigan State (10/5/02), she moved into third place on the career list is as follows:

1. Jen Magelssen (1995-98) 1,331
2. Cydryce Carter (1996-99) 1,128
3. Hillary Toivonen (1999-present) 1,122
4. Lynn Crawley (1991-94) 1,063
5. Julie Goedde (1986-89) 1,013
6. Kristina Sanderson (1996-99) 1,003
7. Nancy Mason (1988-91) 980
8. Joy Jordan (1987-90) 899
9. Stacie Murr (1992-95) 898
10. Michelle McElroy (1991-95) 882

The Two Freshmen: Indiana's roster will feature two freshmen in 2002 -- 6-foot-1 middle blocker Mandy Eberle (Sussex, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) and 6-foot-1 outside hitter Ashley White (St. Charles, Ill./East). Eberle helped lead her high school team to a No. 2 state ranking as a senior, while White led her team to a No. 7 national ranking and a state title.

Zimmerman Handling Setting Duties: Sophomore Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) is the lone setter on Indiana's roster in 2002 and, thus, will handle those duties throughout the season.

"Victoria comes in with an attitude that I love," said head coach Katie Weismiller. "She wants it so badly and she wants to work hard. We've had players in the past who are gamers, and she is truly one of those. Her setting locations are some of the best that we've ever had in the program."

In 2001, Zimmerman appeared in 23 games over the course of 12 matches. In this year's season opening tournament at Northern Illinois, Zimmerman recorded 135 assists (13.5 apg), four service aces, and recorded a .250 hitting percentage. She also played very well at the Indiana TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic (Sept. 6-7) as she recorded 138 assists in a total of 11 games (12.5 assists per game). In the 3-2 victory over Purdue on Oct. 19, Zimmerman recorded a career high in assists with 73. She is currently ranked seventh nationally in assists with 13.56 per game.

Zimmerman Hits 1,000 Assists: Although she recorded only seven assists as a freshman one year ago, setter Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) has already recorded 1092 assists. After notching 60 assists in the Illinois match, she has surpassed the 1,000 mark for her career and in that same game reached 1,000 assists for the season. Zimmerman is only the eighth Indiana volleyball player to record 1,000 career assists.

Heimann Fills a Need: Indiana received an unexpected boost in late August when Beth Heimann (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont) returned to the program after a one-year hiatus. A defensive specialist, Heimann played for the Hoosiers as a true freshman but did not participate last year. The return of Heimann was a pleasant surprise for head coach Katie Weismiller, who believes the addition of an experienced defensive specialist should immediately improve her team.

"We are very excited to get her back on the court and back in our program," said Weismiller. "She is a great passer and a great defensive player. Now, she's been off a year. There are plenty of reps and conditioning that has to be done."

Heimann, whose sister Erin lettered in volleyball for the Hoosiers from 1996-99, appeared in 25 matches in 2001 and is excited to be back on the floor after a year's absence.

"I just missed playing volleyball," said Heimann, who is currently the roommate of sophomore Katie Pollom and junior Melissa Brewer, and lives next door to junior Monique Pritz and sophomore Christina Archibald. "I live with three of the girls so I am kind of in the middle of it. The opportunity came up so I decided to give it a chance again."

At the Terrapin Invitational (Sept. 13-14), Heimann recorded 26 digs and one service ace in three matches. She played very well at the IU Credit Union Classic as she recorded 34 digs and one service ace in three matches.

Archibald Named to 2001 Big Ten All-Freshman Team: For the third time in as many years, an IU freshman was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Following in the footsteps of Laurie Gardner (1999) and Melissa Brewer (2000), Belleville, Ill., product Christina Archibald was named to the 2001 Big Ten All-Freshman Team after turning in a stellar season that saw her set the freshman record for kills with 364. The members of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team are as follows:

2001 Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Christina Archibald - Indiana
Jennifer Gandolph - Michigan
Stacey Gordon - Ohio State (Freshman-of-the-Year)
Jill Odenthal - Wisconsin
Drew Robertson - Northwestern
Kim Schram - Michigan State

Nine Hoosiers Earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors: In 2001, nine Indiana volleyball players were eligible for Academic All-Conference honors, and all nine delivered by being recognized as such. Indiana's 2001 Academic All-Big Ten honorees are as follows (returning players in bold): Melissa Brewer (Sophomore/Biology), Laurie Gardner (Senior/Marketing), Nicole Hill (Sophomore/Marketing), Crecia Keithley (Senior/Psychology), Anna Makowski (Sophomore/Environmental Science), Katie Pollom (Sophomore/Biology), Monique Pritz (Sophomore/Exercise Science), Meghan Stout (Senior/Exercise Science), Hillary Toivonen (Junior/Health Administration).

Two-Sport Athlete: Sophomore Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) participated on the IU Track and Field team during the spring of 2002 and finished in a fourth-place tie at the Big Ten Championships with a leap of 5'7 3/4", tying her for the best finish in the event by a freshman. She boasts a career high jump of 5'10". A physically imposing outside hitter, Archibald immediately worked her way into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2001 as she started all 28 matches on her way to earning Freshman All-Big Ten accolades. She played in 99 out of a possible 106 games and led the Hoosiers in kills (364), attacks (964), and service aces (29). Her total of 364 kills was the most every by an IU freshman. She finished third on the team in digs with 203. In the 2002 season opening tournament at Northern Illinois, recorded a career-high tying 23 kills vs. NIU.

At the TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic in Bloomington, Archibald was named to the all-tournament team. She followed up that performance by being named to the All-Tournament Team at the Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Md. (Sept. 13-14). In a 3-2 win over Loyola Marymount, Archibald recorded career-highs in kills (29) and digs (18). She was named MVP of the IU Credit Union Classic and earned Big Ten Player-of-the-Week honors.