Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Win Three Straight Games in Victory Over Spartans
11/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
November 8, 2002
Bloomington, Ind. - The Hoosiers won in three games (30-27, 30-26, 30-26) over the visiting Michigan State Spartans Friday night at University Gymnasium in Bloomington, Ind. IU extends its record to 17-8 overall with a Big Ten conference mark of 7-6. The Spartans fall to15-8 overall, 7-6 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers and Spartans are now tied in the conference standings with the same conference mark." We knew this weekend was going to be tough but this was a great match to set the tone for the weekend," said head coach Katie Weismiller. "Michigan State is a good team and I felt like we came in prepared, they came in confident and we executed tonight. We stuck with our game plan, we knew what they were going to do and it gave us a lot of confidence."
The last time that Indiana won in three straight games over MSU was Oct. 16, 1993 when IU won 15-3, 15-10, 15-1. In 2002 the Hoosiers have not won in three straight games since Sept. 7 when Indiana defeated Cal-State Fullerton in the TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic in Bloomington, Ind.
IU was paced by Katie Pollom with 15 kills while Melissa Brewer had 13 of her own and Christina Archibald added 12. Archibald led the Hoosiers with four service aces while Brewer led with three block assists.
"This win is one more step in the direction of proving ourselves," said Pollom. "We have worked all season on gaining respect and this was just one more way to do it."
Game one began with the Spartans scoring first, but the Hoosiers found their way back, battling through an evenly matched game to their biggest lead of the match at 26-22. IU and MSU headed into a timeout called by the Spartans, coming out of the break with as much tenacity as they had heading into it. They extended their lead to six points at 28-22. The Spartans would battle back, scoring two straight points to bring the score to 28-24. Indiana's Nikki Hill brought the match to game point at 29-25 and the Hoosiers could not finish the Spartans then. A variety of attacking errors by the Hoosiers opened the door for Michigan State as IU head coach Katie Weismiller called timeout, giving the Indiana squad a chance to regroup as the score stood at 29-27. Weismiller inspired her team during the break as Hill came out and closed the contest with her kill, ending game one with a score of 30-27.
Game two saw the Hoosiers score six unanswered points, jumping out to a 10-2 lead with Brewer and Hill getting back-to-back block assists. The teams then headed into a timeout, the score standing at 12-4. The Spartans came out of the break and scored three straight points as IU struggled to find the offense that had dominated early in game two. Michigan State's Kim Schram had two consecutive kills to bring the Spartans nearer to IU with a score of 18-13. The Spartans pulled within two when the score stood at 20-18. Theteams struggled for control of the contest, but the Hoosiers scored two points in a row off Archibald and Brewer kills, respectively, to bring the game to 24-20. After a Spartan timeout at the 26-22 mark, the IU-MSU matchup continued as the Spartans once again pulled within two. The Hoosiers pulled away, convincingly winning the second-straight game, 30-26.
Game three began with little fanfare as the teams played very balanced, back-and-forth. Michigan State owned only its second lead of the match with their 5-2 lead in game three. Archibald got two-straight service aces, tying the game at 5-5. A Pritz kill on the ensuing play gave the Hoosiers the first lead of the third stanza, going up 6-5. The ball and the lead went back and forth with both teams racking up kills and net and attacking errors. The Hoosiers played from behind for the majority of game three until they evened the score, 19-19. Coming out of the following timeout, IU scored three straight points off an Archibald kill, a Hill service ace and a Pollom kill, putting the score at 22-19. The Hoosiers and Spartans went into another timeout tied, this time 24-24. Following the tradition set just five points earlier, IU pulled off three unanswered points, forcing the Spartans to call timeout after an Archibald service ace. Coming back from the break, the Hoosiers scored again, extending their lead with the score of 28-24. The game ended when Hill came through with a critical and well-timed kill, giving the Hoosiers the 30-26 victory in the game and the match.
The Hoosiers face off with another Michigan squad, this time the Wolverines, when they visit Bloomington, Ind. with a game time of 7 p.m. at University Gymnasium.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
/ Women's Volleyball
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