Hoosiers Welcome No. 17 Penn State and Ohio State

11/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

November 6, 2003

Bloomington, Ind. - The Indiana volleyball team returns home after a four-match road swing through the states of Illinois and Michigan. The Hoosiers enter this weekend's contests against No. 17 Penn State and Ohio State with an overall record of 9-14 and a Big Ten mark of 2-10.

IU is 0-2 against the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes this season, dropping road matches to both teams early this season. After opening the Big Ten season with back-to-back victories, Indiana fell at Ohio State, 3-0 on Oct. 3 and lost at then No. 11 Penn State, 3-0 on Oct. 4.

HOOSIER REPORT
This past weekend, Indiana lost a pair of road matches at Michigan State and Michigan. The Spartans dropped the Hoosiers in three games 30-24, 30-23, 30-23. Senior Monique Pritz finished with a season-high 13 kills, hitting .409, while sophomore Ashley White pounded eight kills in her first collegiate start.

Against the Wolverines, freshman Lindsay Cochrane turned in a brilliant defensive effort compiling a career-high 14 digs, but it was not enough as Michigan knocked off IU 34-32, 30-23, 30-20. Junior Beth Heimann joined Cochrane in double figures with 12 digs in the match.

HOOSIER OPPONENTS
Penn State: The Nittany Lions (20-4, 9-3 Big Ten) enter this weekend ranked No. 17 in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll. Last weekend, PSU swept Northwestern and then-No. 25 Illinois at University Park, moving into second place in the league, one game behind No. 20 Minnesota. The team's victory over the Fighting Illini gave the Lions their 20th win of the season, marking the 27th consecutive 20-win season in the program's 28-year history.

Senior Cara Smith carried Penn State in their victories. The middle blocker hit .618 in the weekend matches. She compiled 23 kills for the two outings, posting just two errors on 34 total attacks. Additionally, Smith added nine digs and nine blocks.

Ohio State: OSU (9-11, 3-9 Big Ten) split a pair of home Big Ten matches last weekend. The Buckeyes upended then-No. 25 Illinois in four games before falling to Northwestern in four games.

Ohio State was led by Stacey Gordon. The junior outside hitter was named Big Ten Player of the Week after recording 60 kills in OSU's two matches. Gordon tallied 28 kills against Illinois, hitting .408 and adding five aces, nine digs and one block. Against NU, she racked up 32 kills, 12 digs and seven blocks while hitting .324.

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.

A Fresh Spark
Freshman Lindsay Cochrane provided the Hoosiers with a defensive spark this past weekend. Starting both matches at Michigan State and Michigan, the Geneva, Ill., native corralled a career-high 14 digs against the Spartans and added eight digs against the Wolverines. Cochrane has appeared in the last 13 Hoosier games and has started three of the last four matches.

Overall this season, Cochrane has appeared in 67 games with four starts. She has reached the double-digit digs plateau four times and has 119 digs and 11 service aces.

Making Their Debuts
Sophomores Mandy Eberle and Ashley White and freshman Tasha Arsenych notched their first collegiate starts the past two weekends. Eberle got the starting nod against Northwestern and Illinois. The Sussex, Wis., native appeared in four games and pounded five kills to go along with two block assists. White started the team's matches at Michigan State and Michigan. She produced 11 kills playing in five of the squad's six games. Arsenych got the start as setter against U of I. The Plano, Texas, native displayed great poise and leadership, distributing 42 assists.

Against The Nittany Lions
The Hoosiers lost to then-No.11 Penn State, 3-0 when the teams met earlier this year in University Park, Pa., on Oct. 4. Beth Heimann led the Hoosiers with 12 digs, while Christina Archibald notched 12 kills. In 2002, Indiana lost to PSU in three games in University Park and Bloomington, Ind.

Against The Buckeyes
Indiana dropped its first match of the season against Ohio State, 3-0 in Columbus, Ohio. The loss was the Hoosiers first in league play after a 2-0 start. In the match, Archibald led the Hoosiers with 14 kills, hitting .360. Last season, IU upset then-No. 11 OSU in Bloomington before losing a heartbreaking five-game match in Columbus.

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.

Back Home Again
The Hoosiers wrapped up their four-match road trip at the Michigan schools last weekend and are ready for some home cooking. After dropping both matches at Michigan State and Michigan, IU is 0-9 away from University Gym. Indiana returns home, where it holds a 7-4 record, for matches against No. 17 Penn State and Ohio State.

.300 Is The Mark
The Hoosiers are 7-1 when they hit .300 in a match and 2-13 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 23 matches this season, the Hoosiers have only allowed five opponents to hit .300 or higher 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, moving into second place against Northwestern. 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 - 1,447
6th Christina Archibald - 1,281

Assists
6th Victoria Zimmerman - 2,814

Block Assists
1st Melissa Brewer - 431
6th Katie Pollom - 256

Total Blocks
2nd Brewer - 474
6th Pollom - 294

Double-Digit Streak Ends at 32
Christina Archibald failed to record double-digit kills at Michigan State last weekend, snapping her streak at 32 matches with at least 10 kills. She rebounded with a 12-kill performance at Michigan the following match. This season, the junior has reached the 10-kill plateau in 23 of the team's 24 matches and dating back to last season, Archibald has pounded 10 or more kills in 33 of the last 34 matches she has played in.

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 fifth in the conference with 362 kills and ranks sixth in the league averaging 4.21 kills per game. Meanwhile, Heimann ranks fifth in the Big Ten averaging 3.38 digs per game and sits sixth in the conference with 270 digs. In conference matches, Monique Pritz is ninth with her .309 hitting percentage. Heimann ranks eighth averaging 3.25 digs per game and Archibald sits 10th at 3.85 kills 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 rolling along in this 2003 campaign. The Indianapolis, Ind., native leads the team with 17 block solos and 19 service aces while ranking second with 56 block assists and 73 total blocks. She also sits third on the squad with 241 kills, a .279 hitting percentage and 2.84 kills per game. 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' match at Michigan, the junior turned in a fine all-around performance. In addition to delivering 36 assists, Zimmerman recorded seven digs, six kills and two block assists. Overall this season, the junior has dished out 12.71 assists per game to go along with 184 digs (second on the team), 74 kills and 33 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 270 digs, averaging 3.38 digs per game appearing in 80 of the team's 86 games as the Hoosier libero.
Heimann turned in her best performances of the season setting a career high with 22 digs against Purdue and following that with a 16-dig performance against then-No. 23 Wisconsin. This past weekend, the Decatur, Ind., native compiled 12 digs apiece at Michigan State and Michigan. 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 86 games, pounding 154 kills, hitting .294 (second on the team) and adding 49 block assists, good for third on the team. At Michigan State this past weekend, the Columbus, Ind., native pounded a season-high 13 kills, hitting .409 in the match. 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.

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 74 of the team's 86 games this season.
White has contributed 135 kills, good for fifth on the team, participating in each of the team's 23 matches this season. This past weekend at Michigan State and Michigan, White started her first two collegiate matches providing 11 kills and participating in five of the team's six games. With her increased playing time, White has terminated 126 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 70 of the team's 86 games and started 16 of the team's 23 matches. She ranks fourth on the team behind Heimann, Zimmerman and Archibald with 136 digs and sits fourth on the team with 12 service aces. In the Hoosiers' Big Ten matches against Northwestern and Illinois, Hill corralled 13 digs.

Fantastic Freshmen
Freshmen defensive specialist Sara Diehl and outside hitter Katy Jo Mroski have seen increased playing time in the last month and have seen extended time in the Hoosier rotation. Diehl has appeared in 53 of the team's games, starting six of IU's 21 matches. Brought in for her defense and service game, the Bloomington, Ind., native has served eight service aces and has compiled 53 digs this season.

Mroski's playing time has risen sharply the last three weeks, 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., native 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 Sept. 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 Sept. 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, three Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25 and two Big Ten teams sit just outside the top 25 receiving votes. Indiana has faced five teams ranked in the top 25 this season and four more teams 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.