Hoosiers Travel to Illinois

10/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

October 23, 2003

Bloomington, Ind. -- The Indiana volleyball team continues its Big Ten campaign this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Hoosiers (9-10, 2-6 Big Ten) travel to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern (11-9, 2-6 Big Ten) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and face Big Ten leader Illinois (14-4, 6-2 Big Ten) at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday in Champaign, Ill.

HOOSIER REPORT

IU heads to the state of Illinois for Big Ten battles against Northwestern and Illinois this weekend. The Hoosiers will look to halt their current six-match losing streak and capture their first road win of the season.

This past week, Indiana dropped a four-game match to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. In the match, senior Melissa Brewer became the school's all-time block assists leader. The Bloomington, Ind., native surpassed current IU assistant coach Cydryce Carter for the top spot.

Next up, IU returned home for a match against No. 23 Wisconsin. The Hoosiers took the Badgers to the limit, dropping a heartbreaking five-game match. The loss moved Indiana to 9-10 overall this season and 2-6 in the Big Ten.

HOOSIER OPPONENTS
Northwestern: The Wildcats (11-9) head into this weekend with the same 2-6 Big Ten mark as the Hoosiers. NU lost both its road matches last weekend, falling to Michigan, 3-0, and getting swept by No. 22 Michigan State.

Northwestern is led by senior Erika Lange, who leads the team with a .371 hitting percentage, 24 block solos, 55 block assists and 79 total blocks. Her .371 hitting percentage ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Senior Iwona Lodzik leads the Wildcats with 290 kills and 4.20 kills per game, ranking sixth in the league in both categories.

Illinois: The Fighting Illini sit just outside the rankings in the latest USA Today/AVCA Top 25 poll. Entering the weekend, Illinois holds a 14-4 record and a 6-2 mark in the conference, good for a four-way tie atop the Big Ten. The Illini completed the sweep of Michigan (3-0) and Michigan State (3-1) last weekend.

Jessica Belter carried the Illini to its weekend road victories and the top spot in the league standings and was named Big Ten Player of the Week for her efforts. The junior hit .737 in the team's victory over MSU, pounding 16 kills with just two errors. Against the Wolverines, she nailed 12 kills, 11 digs and eight blocks while hitting .417 in the squad's four-game victory. On the weekend, the St. Peters, Mo., native averaged 4.0 kills per game and hit .558 with 2.0 digs and 1.7 blocks per game.

Head Coach Katie Weismiller

The winningest volleyball coach in Indiana University history, Katie Weismiller has completely changed the fortunes of the IU volleyball program during her 10 years in Bloomington. Now in her 11th season, Weismiller has led the Hoosiers to three NCAA Tournaments in the last five years, including an NCAA berth last fall. Last year's appearance marked the fourth time in the program's history, (all under Weismiller), an Indiana team advanced to the postseason. After taking over a program that was 6-23 prior to her arrival, Weismiller led the Hoosiers to a .500 record in 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 on both occasions. Prior to Indiana, Weismiller was the head coach at Saint Louis University (1989-90), and an assistant at the University of Florida (1991-92).

Assistant Coach Cydryce Carter: Carter is in her second season as an assistant coach at Indiana after spending two seasons as an assistant at Southwest Texas State. Carter coordinates Indiana's recruiting efforts in addition to her on-court responsibilities, which include working with the Hoosiers' middle blockers. Carter's impact was felt immediately in 2002 as she helped lead the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament. As a standout player at Indiana, Carter finished her career among Indiana's top 10 in digs, service aces, block assists and total blocks. She twice earned Academic All-America honors.

Assistant Coach Ryan Theis: Theis is in his second season at Indiana. In his first season, the Hoosiers won 12 more matches than they did in 2001. In addition to his on-court duties, Theis is responsible for a number of administrative functions including team travel, equipment and recruiting. Prior to his arrival at Indiana, Theis spent two seasons as the top assistant for the women's volleyball program at Eastern Illinois University. In 2001, he helped lead the Panthers to a 21-9 overall mark, an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Brewer Breaks Block Record
Against Purdue on Oct. 15, senior middle blocker Melissa Brewer etched her name into the Hoosier record books, recording seven block assists, becoming the Indiana all-time leader with 407 in her career. She broke current IU assistant coach Cydryce Carter's record of 405. The senior also added a match-high 17 kills, hitting .389 in the match.

"That is quite an accomplishment," said Weismiller of Brewer's record. "When you look at how good Cydryce Carter was, that's a hard record to break. She put a lot of time and effort into it, and she has gotten better and better. She had such a great night and hopefully, we can all pick it up around her."

Against Northwestern
The Hoosiers and Wildcats split a pair of matches last season, with both teams winning on the other's court. Overall, Weismiller owns a 15-5 record in her career against Northwestern, capturing victories in eight of the last 10 matches between the two teams. IU is 25-19 against the Wildcats all-time. Here is a look at last year's two matches:

2002 Against the Wildcats:
Date W/L H/A Score

10/11/02 L H 30-19, 27-30, 25-30, 36-34, 13-15

11/2/02 W A 22-30, 30-26, 30-28, 30-23

Against Illinois
Indiana also split two matches against the Fighting Illini last season. Both teams secured their home court advantage with victories at home. Here is a look at last year's two matches:

2002 Against the Fighting Illini:
Date W/L H/A Score

10/5/02 W H 30-26, 26-30, 31-29, 26-30, 15-11

11/8/02 L A 21-30, 24-30, 28-30

Hit the Road
The Hoosiers take to the road for their next four conference matches. After facing Northwestern and Illinois, IU hits the state of Michigan for matchups against nationally-ranked Michigan State and Michigan.

Thus far, Indiana is 0-5 away from University Gym, dropping three conference road matches and two non-conference battles. In contrast, IU is 7-3 on its home court and 2-1 on a neutral floor in 2003.

.300 Is The Mark
The Hoosiers are 7-1 when they hit .300 in a match and 2-10 when they do not reach the .300 mark. IU's highest single-match hitting percentage of .358 came in the Hoosiers three-game sweep of IUPUI in the opening match of the TIS/Taylor Invitational, and its highest single-game hitting percentage of .562 came against South Carolina at the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational.

Dominant Defense
In 19 matches this season, the Hoosiers have only allowed three opponents to hit .300 in a match. Overall, Indiana has held seven opponents under the .200 plateau, going 6-1 in those matches, and the Hoosiers held IUPUI to a season-best .054 hitting percentage in their three-game victory.

Moving Up The Charts
In addition to Brewer breaking the career block assists record, several Hoosiers are moving up the career lists in the IU record books. Juniors Christina Archibald, Katie Pollom and Victoria Zimmerman are all moving up the all-time ranks. Archibald has moved into the top 10 in kills while Brewer also ranks in the top 10 in kills and total blocks, needing five blocks to move into second place. Pollom has entered the top 10 in block assists and entered the top 10 in total blocks against then-No. 11 Penn State. Zimmerman sits in sixth place in assists. Here is where the foursome sits in the record books:

Kills

2nd Melissa Brewer - 1,409

8th Christina Archibald - 1,235

Assists
6th Victoria Zimmerman - 2,703

Block Assists

1st Melissa Brewer - 412

6th Katie Pollom - 247

Total Blocks

3rd Brewer - 453

6th Pollom - 282

Double-Digit Streak Hits 30
Christina Archibald recorded double-digit kills in both matches last weekend. She has reached the 10-kill mark in all 19 matches this season, and dating back to last season, Archibald has notched at least 10 kills in 30 consecutive matches.

Double-Double
Christina Archibald captured her fifth double-double of the season after nailing 13 kills and corralling 10 digs in the Hoosiers' three-game victory over Iowa on Sept. 27. Last season, the Belleville, Ill., native recorded 11 double-doubles and now has 24 in her career.

Setter Victoria Zimmerman leads the team with six double-doubles this year. In 2002, she garnered 10 double-doubles and now has 16 in her career, second on the team to Archibald's 24.

Big Ten Leaders
Thus far this season, Christina Archibald and Beth Heimann are among the Big Ten leaders in four statistical categories. Archibald is third in the conference with 316 kills and ranks fourth in the league averaging 4.33 kills per game. Meanwhile, Heimann ranks third in the Big Ten with 238 digs and sits in fifth place averaging 3.35 digs per game. In conference games, Monique Pritz is fifth in the league with a .337 hitting percentage, and Archibald ranks seventh with 4.00 kills per game. Nikki Hill sits sixth in the conference averaging 0.35 service aces per game, while Heimann ranks seventh averaging 3.15 digs per game.

Brewer Academic All-America Candidate
Melissa Brewer, a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season, is a leading candidate for Academic All-America honors. The Bloomington, Ind., native was named to the Verizon Academic All-District V Volleyball First Team for the second consecutive season in 2002. Additionally, Brewer was one of eight Hoosiers to earn a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten team. On the court, the senior middle blocker became the sixth Hoosier in the program's history and the first since Anne Eastman and Lynn Crawley (1994) to earn Mideast All-Region honors in 2002. Two-Sport Star

In addition to her volleyball duties, Christina Archibald is a member of the IU track and field team. During the spring of 2002, Archibald finished in a fourth place tie in the high jump at the Big Ten Championship with a leap of 5'7 3/4''. The jump tied her for the best finish in the event by a freshman. The Belleville, Ill., native took last track season off to rehabilitate a foot injury.

Pollom Pounding Away
Middle blocker Katie Pollom is off to a great start in the 2003 campaign. The Indianapolis, Ind., native leads the team with 14 block solos and 17 service aces while ranking second with 47 block assists and 61 total blocks. She also sits third on the squad with 203 kills, 2.82 kills per game and a .295 hitting percentage. The junior was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last season after setting an IU single-season record for total blocks (153), and tying current IU assistant coach Cydryce Carter for first on the single-season block assists list (139). Pollom finished third on the team in kills with 446, which ranks seventh all-time on the Hoosiers' single-season list.

Zimmerman Runs the Show
Running the show for Indiana is setter Victoria Zimmerman. During the Hoosiers' matches against Purdue and No. 23 Wisconsin, Zimmerman distributed 55 assists with three block assists against Purdue while recording 58 assists and six digs against No. 23 Wisconsin. Overall this season, the junior has dished out 12.75 assists per game to go along with 168 digs (second on the team), 62 kills and 28 block assists. Last season, displaying great leadership and excitement on the court, Zimmerman set the single-season school record with 1,765 assists. She ranked ninth nationally with 13.58 assists per game and is an All-Big Ten candidate this season.

Heimann Gets Defensive
Junior Beth Heimann has picked up where departed senior Hillary Toivonen left off. She has been a catalyst on the defense registering a team-high 238 digs, averaging 3.35 digs per game appearing in 71 of the team's 73 games as the Hoosier libero.

Heimann turned in her best performances of the season last week, setting a career high with 22 digs against Purdue and following that with a 16-dig performance against No. 23 Wisconsin. After taking a one-year hiatus from the squad, Heimann returned to the team just weeks prior to the start of the 2002 season. She appeared in all 33 matches and recorded 253 digs, fifth-best on the team.

Pritz Sees Increase In Action
Senior Monique Pritz shined during the offseason and has continued her impressive play into the regular season. Pritz has seen action in all 73 games, pounding 124 kills, hitting .300 (second on the team) and adding 40 block assists, good for third on the team. Against then-No. 16 Michigan State, the Columbus, Ind., native hit .750, recording 12 kills on 16 attempts with no errors. She also holds the Hoosiers highest hitting percentage of .889, drilling eight kills on nine attempts with no errors in a victory against then-No. 18 Minnesota. Head coach Katie Weismiller has been pleased with the senior's progress. Her play on the right side has been tremendous, and she will continue to be called upon this season.

White A Pleasant Surprise
One of the brightest positives from Indiana's performance this season has been the play of sophomore Ashley White. Appearing in only 18 games last season, the St. Charles, Ill., native has appeared in 65 of the team's 73 games this season.

White has contributed 119 kills, fifth on the team, participating in each of the team's 19 matches this season. White recorded seven kills apiece against Purdue and No. 23 Wisconsin this past week. With her increased playing time, White has terminated 110 more kills than last season, the most significant improvement on the team.

Hill Fights Through Knee Injury
After undergoing surgery just prior to spring break (2003), senior Nikki Hill has looked refreshed and provided IU with a spark this season. Hill has appeared in 63 of the team's 73 games and started 16 of the team's 19 matches. She ranks fourth on the team behind Heimann, Zimmerman and Archibald with 122 digs and sits fourth on the team with 12 service aces. In the Hoosiers' Big Ten matches against No. 23 Wisconsin and Purdue, Hill corralled 13 digs.

Fantastic Freshmen
Freshmen defensive specialists Sara Diehl and Lindsay Cochrane and outside hitter Katy Jo Mroski have seen increased playing time in the last month and have seen extended time in the Hoosier rotation. Cochrane has appeared in 54 games this season with one start. Against Michigan, the Geneva, Ill., native gathered a match-high 12 digs, setting a new career high and marking the third time this season she has recorded at least 10 digs. Overall this season, Cochrane has 86 digs and 10 service aces.

Diehl has appeared in 44 of the team's games, starting six of IU's 19 matches. Brought in for her defense and service game, the Bloomington, Ind., native has served seven service aces and has compiled 45 digs this season.

Mroski's playing time has risen sharply the last three weeks, seeing action in five of the Hoosiers' last seven matches and adding firepower off the bench. The Hubbard, Ohio, native turned in her best performance of the season with eight kills and a .417 hitting percentage against then-No. 16 Michigan State.

Impressive Start
Indiana began its Big Ten season with victories over then-No. 18 Minnesota, 3-0, and Iowa, 3-0. The last time the Hoosiers started the season winning their first two conference games was the 1997 season when IU downed Purdue and Ohio State.

IU Credit Union Invitational Champs
The Hoosiers captured their first tournament title of 2003 season at their own IU Credit Union Invitational. After downing Saint Louis (3-0) and Austin Peay (3-1) in its first two matches, IU came back from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Western Kentucky in the championship match. Behind an offensive onslaught and an energetic crowd, Indiana rallied for the 32-34, 23-30, 30-21, 30-25, 15-11 victory.

Christina Archibald led the way for Indiana compiling a season-high 25 kills, 11 digs, eight block assists, two service aces and hitting .364 against the Lady Hilltoppers. Melissa Brewer nailed 18 kills, hitting .325, and Katie Pollom finished with 18 kills and collected two block solos and seven block assists.

Archibald Brings Home MVP
After her performance at the IU Credit Union Invitational, Christina Archibald earned tournament MVP honors. The Belleville, Ill., finished the weekend with 56 kills, 26 digs, 12 block assists and four service aces. Indiana appeared in four tournaments this season, and Archibald was named to the all-tournament team in all four events.

All-Tournament Appearances
In addition to Archibald, Melissa Brewer and Katie Pollom earned spots on the all-tournament team at the IU Credit Union Invitational. Brewer terminated 48 kills along with 19 block assists in the tournament. The Bloomington, Ind., native was named to three all-tournament teams this season.

Pollom earned her first all-tournament nomination of the season finishing second on the team with 50 kills. She also turned in a dominant performance on the defensive end with four block solos and 10 block assists.

Oh So Close
Two different tournaments, same result. The Hoosiers fell in the championship match for the second-straight tournament at the TIS/Taylor Invitational on September 6. After defeating IUPUI in three games and Southeast Missouri State in four games, Indiana fell to Wisconsin-Green Bay in five games in the finale. It marked the second time in the two-year history of the tournament IU finished second at the event.

Weismiller Remains Perfect
In its 29th season, Indiana has compiled a 22-7 record in season-opening matches. The Hoosiers improved to a perfect 11-0 in season openers under head coach Katie Weismiller after defeating Kent State in five games. Indiana's last loss in a season-opening match was a three-game sweep at Kentucky on September 4, 1992.

Preseason Big Ten Poll
Coming off its third NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons, the Hoosiers were selected fifth in the 2003 Big Ten Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. In addition, league coaches tabbed junior outside hitter Christina Archibald to the preseason All-Big Ten team.

USA Today Poll

Overall, four Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25 and one Big Ten team sits just outside the top 25 receiving votes. Indiana faces five teams ranked in the top 25 this season and one more team receiving votes in the poll.

Hoosiers Dancing

In 2002, Indiana advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history. Weismiller has led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament three times in the last five years. Last season, eight Big Ten teams earned a berth into the tournament. IU matched up against the University of Texas in the first round dropping a heartbreaking five-set match, 22-30, 38-36, 17-30, 30-24, 10-15. The Hoosiers are 2-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament in their four appearances.