Indiana University Athletics
IU Drops First Conference Match
10/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
October 3, 2003
Columbus, Ohio - The Indiana volleyball team dropped its first conference road match to Ohio State 30-24, 30-28, 30-24, ending the team's five-match winning streak. The Hoosiers are now 9-5 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play while Ohio State sits at 7-4 overall and 1-2 in conference action."Ohio State was good and attacked us from the service line," said head coach Katie Weismiller. "Offensively, when we were in-system we were pretty good, but we just didn't ball control as well as we can. Defensively, our front-line defense wasn't set up well. But you have to credit Ohio State. They have some nice outside hitters who did a good job for them tonight."
Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) led the squad with 14 kills, hitting .360. The junior has recorded 10-plus kills in 25 consecutive matches. Junior Katie Pollom (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) added eight kills, three block assists and three block solos while junior Victoria Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) distributed 33 assists in addition to corralling seven digs.
The Buckeyes were led by junior Stacey Gordon and her 26 kills. Gordon has reached the 10-kill match in 59 straight matches and in 72 of the last 74 matches she has played in.
Trailing 16-9 in game one, Pollom reeled off three unanswered points, nailing one kill and delivering two service aces, cutting the lead to 16-12. The Buckeyes responded with a 6-3 run, opening a seven-point lead, but Pollom brought IU back once again. Her third kill of the game followed by a block solo brought the Hoosiers within two points at 26-24. However, Indiana could not get any closer as Ohio State scored the final four points for a 30-24 victory.
OSU held a 17-13 lead in game two before IU clawed back. Led by two Lindsay Cochrane (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) service aces and a block assist by freshman Katy Jo Mroski (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard), the Hoosiers evened the match at 17-17. Once again the Buckeyes answered, turning away Indiana with a three-point rally, taking a 20-17 lead.
After OSU extended its lead to 29-25, Archibald kept IU alive with back-to-back kills following a Pollom service ace, closing the deficit to 29-28. But Gordon shut the door with her 16th kill of the match, giving Ohio State the 30-23 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match. Archibald led the Hoosiers with six kills in the game.
The final game saw the Buckeyes grab a 13-3 lead en route to a 30-24 victory and a sweep of the match. Indiana moved to within five points on three occasions, including 29-24, but that's as close as the Hoosiers could get. Sophomore Ashley White (St. Charles, Ill./East) drilled three kills in the game as well as adding one block solo and one block assist.
"We need to regroup," said Weismiller about Saturday's match against Penn State. "We need to comeback, focus and be ready to play. I know this team can turnaround and be ready, but we definitely have to step it up a notch and have a much better outing Saturday night."
IU looks to rebound from the loss when it returns to the court Saturday at 7:00 p.m. EST against No. 11 Penn State at University Park, Pa. The match can be heard live on the web at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Players Mentioned
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