Indiana University Athletics
IU Wins at Iowa, 3-1
11/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
November 23, 2002
Iowa City, Iowa - If the Hoosiers are to ultimately earn an NCAA Tournament bid when the "Field of 64" is announced on December 1, it certainly couldn't afford a loss to Iowa this evening at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Indiana got what it needed to keep its postseason aspirations within grasp, a 3-1 (30-14, 30-25, 30-32, 30-27) victory over the Hawkeyes. With 64 assists in tonight's match, sophomore Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) became Indiana's single-season assist leader with 1,614.Although Indiana had won seven of its last 12 matches entering tonight's tilt, consecutive losses against nationally-ranked powers Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota, had to place some doubt in the collective minds of the Hoosiers. Indiana's small roster and late-season aches and pains placed even more pressure on the collective shoulders of a young Indiana squad. Indiana responded by winning the first two games and holding off a late Iowa charge.
"This was certainly a match that we needed to win to keep this season moving in a positive direction, which it certainly has been to this point" said head coach Katie Weismiller. "With a small roster, we've been fighting through some injuries that have forced us to shuffle our lineup. I thought our team responded really well tonight although we definitely would have liked to have closed out the third game.
"There aren't too many team in the country that could successfully handle a stretch of games against Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota, and while we could have won the Ohio State match, we had to respond by winning tonight. Lesser teams may not have come out of Iowa with a victory following this stretch of matches and this gets us back to .500 in the Big Ten. It really sets up what should be an entertaining weekend of volleyball next week."
The Hoosiers were balanced throughout the lineup as four different players recorded at least 13 kills, led by junior Katie Pollom (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), who recorded 18 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) notched 16 kills, while Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) and Hillary Toivonen (Muncie, Ind./Burris) both notched 13 kills. Toivonen, who has played libero throughout the year, moved into an attacking position for tonight's match.
Indiana (19-11 overall, 9-9 Big Ten) cruised to a game one victory behind the strength of solid defense and efficient attacking. The Hoosiers recorded a .313 hitting percentage in game one, while Iowa (8-19 overall, 2-15 Big Ten) could only manage a -.190 attacking efficiency. With game one tied, 5-5, Indiana scored five consecutive points, taking a 10-5 lead on a kill by Toivonen. The Hawkeyes never got closer than five points for the remainder of the game. Iowa did draw to within 17-12 on a kill by sophomore outside hitter Laura Simpson but Brewer answered with a kill of her own that extended IU's lead to six points. Brewer and junior Monique Pritz (Columbus, Ind./East) combined for a block assist that pushed Indiana's lead to 20-13 and the Hoosiers went on to score the next five points of the game to secure an insurmountable 25-13 lead on another Toivonen kill. Indiana went on to win game one, 30-14.
Game two was far from easy for the Hoosiers. Iowa rebounded nicely from its game one struggles and fought to a 6-3 lead. The Hawkeyes retained a three-point advantage, 13-10, and extended its advantage to four points, 17-13, on a block solo by sophomore Laura Simpson. Indiana, however, scored the next four points of the game, tying the match on a kill by Pritz. After an Iowa timeout, the two teams traded several points before the Hoosiers put together a run that gave the Hoosiers a 25-21 lead. Indiana went on to win game two, 25-21.
Indiana trailed 12-5 in game three. Following a Weismiller timeout, Indiana scored seven of the next eight points scored between the two teams to pull to within 13-12. After Indiana tied the match at 14-14, the two teams seesawed back-and-forth until the Hoosiers grabbed their first two-point lead of the game, an 18-16 advantage on a kill by Toivonen. Iowa tied the game, 18-18, and neither team was able to take a two-point lead again until a Toivonen hitting error exteneded Iowa's lead to 22-20. Trailing 23-20, Indiana scored the next three points of the game to tie it at 23-23. Iowa regained the lead, 26-23, prompting another Weismiller timeout. Back-to-back kills by Pritz and Brewer tied the match and Indiana took a 29-28 lead before Iowa tied the match, 29-29, on an Indiana hitting error. Iowa had two game points and capitalized on the second, scoring on a block assist by Simpson and Kelli Chestnut that gave the Hawkeyes the game, 32-30.
The fourth game was a hard-fought battle throughout as neither team secured greater than a two-point lead until a Toivonen kill gave the Hoosiers a 23-20 lead late in the stanza. After Iowa cut the lead to 23-22, Pollom scored on a kill off of a free ball to give the Hoosiers a two-point advantage, 24-22. Iowa again answered on a kill by Chestnut but the Hoosiers pushed its lead to two points, 25-23, on another kill by Toivonen. Iowa cut the lead to 25-24 but a Hawkeye hitting error again gave IU a two-point lead, 26-24. Iowa again cut into the lead and Indiana could not secure a three-point lead until a hitting error by the Hawkeyes pushed Indiana's advantage to 28-25. Indiana closed out the match, 30-27, on an Iowa hitting error.
Indiana returns to action this weekend for matches against Purdue and Illinois. The Hoosiers will host the Boilermakers on Friday, Nov. 29(Pack the House Night) and the Fighting Illini on Nov. 30. Those two matches will conclude the regular season.
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