Indiana University Athletics
VB Hosts IU Credit Union Invitational
9/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Bloomington, Ind.-- The Indiana volleyball team hosts its second tournament of the season, the IU Credit Union Invitational, this weekend at University Gym. IU opens against Saint Louis at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, followed with a doubleheader Saturday against Austin Peay at noon and Western Kentucky at 7:30 p.m.
Last weekend, the Hoosiers participated in the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational, dropping two hard fought matches against then-No. 15 Notre, 3-1, and South Carolina, 3-2. Junior Christina Archibald was selected to the all-tournament team for the third time in three weeks.
Last Week
Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
Fri. Sept. 12 at Notre Dame, L 3-1 (30-24, 30-23, 28-30, 30-19)
Sat. Sept. 13 vs. South Carolina, L 3-2 (30-15, 30-24, 30-32, 23-30, 15-10)
Coming Up
IU Credit Union Invitational (Bloomington, Ind.)
Fri. Sept. 19 vs. Saint Louis, 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 20 vs. Austin Peay, noon
Sat. Sept. 20 vs. Western Kentucky, 7:30 p.m.
HOOSIER REPORT
Last weekend, the Hoosiers dropped a pair of matches at the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational. Indiana fell to then-No. 15 Notre Dame in four games, 30-24, 30-23, 28-30, 30-19, in its first match. Match two advanced to five games before IU fell to South Carolina, 30-15, 30-24, 30-32, 23-30, 15-10.
For the third time in as many weeks, junior Christina Archibald earned a spot on an all-tournament team. Archibald ended the weekend leading the Hoosiers with 42 kills and 23 digs. She recorded her third double-double of the season and extended her streak of drilling 10 or more kills in a match to 19.
HOOSIER OPPONENTS
Saint Louis: The Billikens of Conference USA enter the weekend with a record of 5-7. SLU participated in Washington State's Tournament last weekend and posted a 2-1 record. Saint Louis downed the host Cougars, 3-1, and swept New Mexico, 3-0. Its only loss of the weekend came against then-No. 22 Loyola Marymount, 3-0. The Billikens were led by junior Alexis Cooley, who hit .652 against Washington State with 15 kills in 23 attempts. Sophomore Lauren Boissevain nearly picked up a triple-double against the Cougars, drilling nine kills with eight assists and 15 digs.
Austin Peay: Austin Peay comes into the tournament with a 5-4 record. The Lady Governors have won three of their last four matches, including a three-game victory over Lipscomb University last Thursday. Junior Sarah Schramka's 119 kills leads the team, with senior Amy Walk sitting second on the squad with 107. On the defensive side, junior Julie Burkhalter leads the team with 147 digs. In 22 seasons at Austin Peay, head coach Cheryl Holt is 337-355, and overall, she has a 473-433-1 mark in 27 seasons. APSU is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
Western Kentucky: IU closes out the tournament against the Lady Toppers of Western Kentucky. WKU won nine-consecutive matches after starting the season 0-2 before falling to Cincinnati in three game Tuesday night. The Lady Toppers downed three opponents in nine games at their own tournament this past weekend on its way to the tournament championship. Junior Amanda Schiff was named tournament MVP, leading the way with 17 kills on a career-high .762 hitting percentage against Tennessee-Martin in the championship match.
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), prior to serving as an assistant at the University of Florida (1991-92).
Assistant Coach Cydryce Carter: Carter is entering 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 enters 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.
IU Credit Union Invitational
This year marks the third time the Hoosiers have hosted the IU Credit Union Invitational. Indiana is a perfect 6-0 in the previous two tournaments, capturing the titles both times. Below is a look at how IU has fared at the IU Credit Union Invitational.
'02 Opponents W/L Score
Central Mich. W 34-32, 30-25, 30-23
Butler W 30-26. 27-30, 22-30, 30-28, 15-13
Louisville W 30-18, 30-25, 32-30
'00 Opponents W/L Score
Cincinnati W 15-12, 15-10, 15-11
Bowling Green W 15-8, 15-13, 14-16, 16-14
Loyola-Chicago W 15-12, 8-15, 16-14, 15-11
IU Credit Union Invitational Schedule
Indiana faces Saint Louis at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and takes on Austin Peay at noon on Saturday followed by the tournament finale against Western Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. The complete tournament schedule is listed below:
Date Match Time
Fri. Austin Peay vs. Western Kentucky 4:00 p.m.
Fri. Saint Louis vs. Indiana 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Saint Louis vs. Western Kentucky 9:30 a.m.
Sat. Austin Peay vs. Indiana noon
Sat. Austin Peay vs. Saint Louis 5:00 p.m.
Sat. Western Kentucky vs. Indiana 7:30 p.m.
IU Credit Union Invitational Opponents
Indiana has faced Saint Louis twice, with the most recent match taking place October 9, 2001. The teams split the two matches at Saint Louis. IU defeated Western Kentucky in the only meeting between the two teams. The Hoosiers will be facing Austin Peay for the first time. Below is a look at IU's history against the three teams:
Against Saint Louis:
Date W/L H/A Score
10/9/75 W A 15-12, 15-11, 15-0
10/9/01 L A 28-30, 30-19, 20-30, 26-30
Against Western Kentucky:
Date W/L H/A Score
11/6/87 W N 15-1, 15-4, 15-4
All-Tournament Appearances
Indiana has appeared in three tournaments, and junior Christina Archibald has been named to the all-tournament team in all three events. Last weekend, Archibald was the lone Hoosier named to the all-tournament team at the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational. She led the Hoosiers with 42 kills, including a match and season-high 23 against South Carolina, and 23 digs.
At the TIS/Taylor Invitational, senior Melissa Brewer joined Archibald on the event's all-tournament team. Brewer led Indiana with 54 kills while hitting .394. She added nine block assists and six service aces in the three matches. Archibald finished the tournament with 52 kills and 29 digs. Both players also earned a spot on the season-opening Hurricane Invitational all-tournament team.
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. 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 event IU finished second at the event.
The previous weekend, Indiana wrote the exact same script. After downing Kent State (3-2) and Manhattan (3-0), the Hoosiers fell in the championship match to Miami (Fla.), finishing second at the Hurricane Invitational.
.300 Is The Mark
The Hoosiers are 3-0 when they hit .300 in a match and 1-4 when they do not reach the .300 mark. Against South Carolina, IU hit .562 in game four, its highest single-game percentage of the season. IU's highest single-match hitting percentage came in the Hoosiers three-game sweep of IUPUI in the opening match of the TIS/Taylor Invitational.
Moving Up The Charts
Several Hoosiers are moving up the career lists in the IU record books. Christina Archibald, Melissa Brewer, junior Katie Pollom and junior Victoria Zimmerman are all moving up the all-time ranks. Archibald has moved into the top 10 in kills while Brewer ranks in the top 10 in kills, block assists and total blocks. Pollom has entered the top 10 in block assists with Zimmerman sitting in sixth place in assists. Here is where the foursome sit in the record books:
Kills
6th Melissa Brewer - 1,259
10th Christina Archibald - 1,067
Assists
6th Victoria Zimmerman - 2,175
Block Assists
3rd Melissa Brewer - 363
8th Katie Pollom - 220
Total Blocks
4th Brewer - 399
Double-Digit Streak Hits 19
Christina Archibald recorded double-digit kills in both matches at the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational. She has reached the 10-kill mark in all eight matches this season, and dating back to last season, Archibald has notched at least 10 kills in 19 consecutive matches.
Archibald's teammate, Melissa Brewer, has the next longest streak at six matches. Brewer has recorded 10 or more kills in seven of the Hoosiers' eight matches this season, and 11 of the last 12 matches she has played in.
Double-Double
Christina Archibald captured her third double-double of the season after nailing 23 kills and digging 15 balls against South Carolina in the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational. Last season, the Belleville, Ill., native recorded 11 double-doubles and now has 22 in her career.
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 116 digs, averaging 3.62 digs per game appearing in 32 of the team's 33 games as the Hoosier libero.
In addition, the Decatur, Ind., native has gathered 10 or more digs in six of Indiana's eight matches this season. Including the final five matches of last season, Heimann has reached the 10-dig plateau in 10 of her last 13 matches. 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 (118 of 130 possible games) and recorded 253 digs, fifth-best on the team.
Big Ten Leaders
Through the first three weeks of the volleyball season, Christina Archibald and Beth Heimann are among the Big Ten leaders in four statistical categories. Archibald is second in the conference with 148 kills and ranks third in the league averaging 4.48 kills per game. Meanwhile, Heimann ranks third in the Big Ten with 116 digs and sits in fourth place averaging 3.62 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 earning 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. On the volleyball court, the outside hitter was honorable mention All-Big Ten after setting Indiana's single-season record in kills (555) last season. Additionally, she was named Big Ten Player of the Week (9/23) along with being named to the all-tournament team at the NIU/Best Western Invitational and being selected MVP at the IU Credit Union Classic.
Pollom Named All-Big Ten
Another Hoosier earning a spot on the 2002 All-Big Ten team was middle blocker Katie Pollom. The junior was named honorable mention All-Big Ten 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 also finished third on the team in kills with 446, which ranks seventh all-time on the Hoosiers' single-season list. The Indianapolis, Ind., native has started the season off on the right foot, ranking second on the team with 20 block assists and third with 76 kills.
Zimmerman Runs the Show
Running the show for Indiana is setter Victoria Zimmerman. Displaying great leadership and excitement, Zimmerman set the single-season school record with 1,765 assists last season. She ranked ninth nationally with 13.58 assists per game and is an All-Big Ten candidate this season. Last weekend, against Notre Dame, Zimmerman made a run at a triple-double. The Barrington, Ill., native finished the match with 48 assists, 12 digs and six kills. Overall this season, the junior has dished out 12.21 assists per game to go along with 84 digs (second on the team), 29 kills and 15 block assists.
Hill Fights Through Injury
Fighting a knee injury her entire junior season, outside hitter Nikki Hill showed her toughness and will to stay on the court, managing to play in all 130 Hoosier games. After undergoing surgery just prior to spring break, Hill has looked refreshed and provided IU with a spark this season. Hill has appeared in 31 of the team's 33 games and started seven of the team's eight matches. She ranks fourth on the team behind Heimann, Zimmerman and Archibald with 63 digs. Despite her injury, Hill tied for fourth on the team in 2002 with a career-high 320 kills and led the squad with 40 service aces. She was named to the All-Tournament Team at the IU Credit Union Classic and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Pritz Sees Increase In Action
Senior Monique Pritz shined during the offseason and has continued her impressive play in all three tournaments this season. Pritz has seen action in all 33 games, pounding 51 kills and adding 14 block assists, good for fourth on the team. 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. In 2002, Pritz appeared in all 33 matches and 124 of 130 possible games. She was fifth on the team with 147 kills. Pritz also showed her versatility by delivering 49 assists, second on the team only to setter Victoria Zimmerman. Off the court, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Pritz also received the Varsity Club Scholastic Achievement Award in 2002-03.
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 29 of the team's 33 games this season.
White has contributed 57 kills, fourth on the team, participating in each of the team's eight matches this season. With her increased playing time, White has compiled 46 more kills than last season, the most significant improvement on the team.
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 two Big Ten teams sit just outside the top 25 receiving votes. Indiana faces five teams ranked in the top 25 this season and three more teams receiving votes in the poll.
Hoosiers Welcome Six Freshmen
After lacking depth last season, the Hoosiers brought in an infusion of young talent to the 2003 team. Setter Tasha Arsenych (Plano, Texas/East), outside hitter Christine Banas (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central), defensive specialist Lindsay Cochrane (Geneva, Ill./Geneva), defensive specialist Sara Diehl (Bloomington, Ind./South), outside hitter/defensive specialist Anne Grabow (Urbana, Ill./Urbana), and outside hitter Katy Jo Mroski (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) provide IU with a deeper bench and give head coach Katie Weismiller more flexibility and versatility with her lineup.
Returning Starters
The Hoosiers return five starters to a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2002. Overall, the team brings back 10 letterwinners from the 12 last season. The lineup is expected to feature several returnees, including Melissa Brewer, Christina Archibald, Katie Pollom, Victoria Zimmerman, Nikki Hill, Monique Pritz and Beth Heimann.
Pollom Selected As Captain
Katie Pollom will serve as Indiana's team captain in 2003. The 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Indianapolis, Ind., served as the captain last season as well.
New Statistic
The Big Ten Conference will be experimenting with a new statistic this season tallying total points for each individual player. The statistic is calculated by adding the number of kills (1 point), aces (1 point), block solos (1 point) and block assists (.5 points) divided by two. This gives the fans a chance to see how many points an individual player contributes to the team. Other conferences have used the statistic before, but this is the first year the Big Ten will use it.
Hoosiers Dancing
In 2002, Indiana advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history, all under head coach Katie Weismiller. Weismiller has led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament three times in the last five years in arguably the toughest volleyball conference in the nation - the Big Ten. 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.
