Weekly Press Release #2

9/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

August 26, 2002

Hoosiers Win Western Invitational
IU Hosts TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic this Weekend

Last Week

NIU Best Western Invitational
Fri. August 30vs. Drake, W 3-0 (30-23, 30-16, 34-32)

Sat. August 31vs. IUPUI, W 3-0 (30-20, 30-28, 30-14)

Sat. August 31vs. NIU, W 3-1 (28-30, 30-26, 30-23, 30-23)

Coming Up

TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic
Fri. Sept. 6vs. Dayton, 7:00 p.m.

Sat. Sept. 7vs. Evansville, 12:00 p.m.

Sat. Sept. 7vs. Cal. State-Fullerton, 7:30 p.m.

Hoosiers Win NIU Best Western Invitational: It took Indiana only ten games to compile three victories at the Northern Illinois Best Western Invitational this past weekend. Indiana opened the two-day tournament with 3-0 victories over Drake and IUPUI and snapped Northern Illinois' 16-game home match winning streak, 3-1, in the tournament finale. Junior Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) was recognized as the tournament Most Valuable Player, while sophomores Katie Pollom (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) earned all-tournament honors.

The Hoosier Opponents: This weekend, Indiana kicks off its home schedule as it hosts the TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic at the University Gymnasium on the Bloomington campus. Indiana will face Dayton, Evansville, and Cal. State-Fullerton in the two-day tournament.

The University of Dayton will enter this weekend's tournament with a 1-2 record after an opening weekend that saw them defeat Loyola-Chicago, 3-1, and lose matches to Oral Roberts and 5th-ranked Long Beach State at the Long Beach State Tournament. One year ago, the Flyers recorded a 21-8 record and won the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season championship. Dayton's 2001 campaign included a 14-match winning streak and its first-ever Top 40 ranking. Junior setter Kelly Scott earned All-Region honors for head coach Pete Hoyer.

The University of Evansville (2-2) split four matches at the Middle Tennessee State Invitational this past weekend, defeating the host school and Chicago State, while losing to Purdue and Western Carolina. The Aces, who finished with a 6-25 overall record one year ago, are coached by Mark Hardaway. Evansville is led by senior setter Megan Sackstader.

Cal. State-Fullerton (3-2) will enter this weekend's tournament after winning three matches at the Rose Hill Classic in the Bronx this past weekend. The Titans defeated Fordham, Iona, Long Island University, while losing to the University of Tennessee and Manhattan College. The Titans are led by first-year head coach Carolyn Zimmerman, who served as Fullerton's top assistant for the past seven seasons. In 2001, Cal. State-Fullerton recorded an 8-18 overall record while competing in the rugged Big West Conference. Senior setter Kim Levey paces the Titans.

Indiana Connections: This weekend's TIS/Taylor Imprinted Sportswear Classic will feature several native Hoosiers playing for visiting teams.

Dayton's Christy Utnage, a 5'10" sophomore outside hitter prepped at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis. Utnage was a first-team all-state selection in high school on multiple occasions and earned all-freshman honors in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2001.

Cal. State-Fullerton freshman setter Lindsay Shondell was a high school teammate of Nikki Hill at Muncie Central High School.

Evansville's roster includes 10 players from Indiana.

Indiana vs. Tournament Opponents: In its history, Indiana has compiled a 7-2 overall record against the three teams competing at this weekend's TIS/Imprinted Sportswear Classic. Indiana has a 5-1 mark vs. Dayton (3-1 home, 1-0 away, 1-0 neutral), a 1-1 mark vs. Cal. State-Fullerton (0-1 away, 1-0 neutral), and a 1-0 mark vs. Evansville (1-0 home). Coincidentally, Katie Weismiller's first two career victories as the head coach at Indiana came against Dayton and Evansville, respectively, in 1993.

Cal. State-Fullerton (1-1)
DateW/LH/AScore
9/9/83WN15-6, 14-16, 15-6

9/9/84LA11-15, 10-15

Dayton (5-1)
DateW/LH/AScore
9/29/79WN15-11, 17-15

10/17/79LH9-15, 5-15, 9-15

11/3/81WH15-5, 15-8, 15-9

9/21/82WA15-8, 9-15, 15-12, 16-14

9/1/93WH15-3, 15-2, 15-4

9/5/97WH15-12, 15-3, 16-18, 15-13

Evansville (1-0)
DateW/LH/AScore
9/7/93WH15-1, 15-4, 15-2

Weismiller Closes in on Win Mark: With 142 victories at Indiana, head coach Katie Weismiller (Texas-Arlington, '88) is only 17 victories shy of becoming Indiana's all-time winningest volleyball coach in terms of victories (Ann Lawver, 158 wins from 1975-82). 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, 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).

Two New Assistants Join IU Staff: Tenth-year head coach Katie Weismiller's staff underwent major changes this offseason as two new assistant coaches will stroll 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 for 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. On the weekend, Brewer recorded a .415 hitting percentage, to go along with 46 kills in 10 games. She also recorded 17 digs and 15 total blocks, moving into seventh place on Indiana's career block assist list with 223.

Four Starters Return: Although libero/outside hitter Hillary Toivonen (Muncie, Ind./Burris) is the Hoosiers' lone senior, Indiana does return four starters to its starting lineup, including middle blocker Melissa Brewer (Bloomington, Ind./North) and outside hitter Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West), both of whom earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors in each of the past two years, respectively. Other returning starters include junior outside hitter Nikki Hill (Muncie, Ind./Central) and junior outside hitter Monique Pritz (Columbus, Ind./East).

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.

Pollom Selected as Captain: Junior/sophomore Katie Pollom, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Indianapolis, Ind. (Cathedral High School) will serve as Indiana's team captain in 2002. What makes this rare is that Pollom 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.

Weismiller Still Perfect in Season Openers: With a 3-0 victory over Drake in Indiana's 2002 season opener, head coach Katie Weismiller improved her record to 10-0 in season opening matches. Indiana's last loss in a season opener was a three-game setback at Kentucky on September 4, 1992. In its 27 seasons as a program, Indiana has compiled a 21-7 record in season opening matches.

The Libero Position - Taylor Made for Toivonen: Collegiate volleyball will undergo 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.

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 to Handle Setting Duties: Sophomore Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) will be 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.

Heimann Added to Roster: 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."

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.