Indiana University Athletics
IU Opens Big Ten Play
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Bloomington, Ind. -- After finishing its fourth tournament of the season, the Indiana volleyball squad is primed for Big Ten play to begin. The Hoosiers (7-4) open their league season at University Gym against No. 18 Minnesota (7-5) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and against Iowa (5-4) at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday
Last weekend, IU captured the championship at the IU Credit Union Invitational. The Hoosiers knocked off Western Kentucky in five games to capture the title. Junior Christina Archibald was named tournament MVP, while senior Melissa Brewer and junior Katie Pollom were named to the all-tournament.
Last Week
Champions at IU Credit Union Invitational (Bloomington, Ind.)
Fri. Sept. 19 vs. Saint Louis, W 3-0 (30-21, 30-27, 30-21)
Sat. Sept. 20 vs. Austin Peay, W 3-1 (28-30, 30-27, 30-26, 30-16)
Sat. Sept. 20 vs. Western Kentucky, W 3-2 (32-34, 23-30, 30-21, 30-25, 15-11)
Coming Up
Fri. Sept. 26 vs. No. 18 Minnesota, 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 27 vs. Iowa, 7:00 p.m.
HOOSIER REPORT
Last weekend, the Hoosiers captured their first tournament title of the season, knocking off Western Kentucky in the championship match of the IU Credit Union Invitational. After falling behind 2-0, the Hoosiers stormed back for the 32-34, 23-30, 30-21, 30-25, 15-11, victory.
Junior outside hitter Christina Archibald was named MVP of the event after compiling 56 kills, 26 digs and 12 block assists in the tournament. In the championship match, the Belleville, Ill., native deposited 25 kills, 11 digs, eight block assists two service aces and hit .364. Archibald has earned a spot on an all-tournament team at all four tournaments Indiana participated in this season.
Additionally, senior middle blocker Melissa Brewer was named to the all-tournament team at the invitational, making her third all-tournament appearance of the season. And junior middle blocker Katie Pollom continued her red-hot play of late and was selected to her first all-tournament team of the season.
HOOSIER OPPONENTS
Minnesota: The Golden Gophers (7-5) head into Big Ten play ranked No. 18 in the latest USA Today/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll. Minnesota went 4-0 last week, including a victory over then-No. 6 Northern Iowa. The Gophers also captured the Diet Coke Classic Tournament title, defeating Colorado, Charlotte and UW-Milwaukee for the championship. Minnesota began the season ranked No. 6 and has met stiff competition early, facing five ranked teams. Despite the difficult schedule, the Gophers have maintained their ranking in the top 25 for the 21st consecutive week.
Minnesota is led by Diet Coke Classic MVP Cassie Busse. The senior led the Golden Gophers with 4.53 kills per game, a .379 hitting percentage and 2.00 digs per game. She also accounted for 13 service aces last week.
Iowa: IU's second opponent this weekend, the Iowa Hawkeyes, come to Bloomington with a 5-4 record. The Hawkeyes enter the match well-rested after last hitting the court September 12 and 13 at the InnTowner Invite. Iowa won the championship at the event with wins over North Carolina State, 3-0, and Duke, 3-2. Junior Carolyn Giese and sophomore Echaka Agba were selected to the all-tournament team at the Invite.
The Hoosiers hold a 29-16 advantage in the all-time series against Iowa, including a sweep of the Hawkeyes in two matches last season. In Bloomington, IU holds a 14-7 lead in the series, winning the last eight matches against Iowa at University Gym.
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 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 2-0 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.
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 has appeared in four tournaments, and Archibald has been 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 has been 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.
Big Ten Action
The Hoosiers enter conference play riding a three-match winning streak. It's a good time to be peaking because Indiana opens up its Big Ten season against No. 18 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers began the year ranked No. 6 in the country and have faced five ranked opponents in the early-going.
Last season, Indiana opened its Big Ten season upsetting then-No. 11 Ohio State, 30-28, 30-26,29-31, 30-21.
After Minnesota, IU battles Iowa. The Hawkeyes come to Bloomington with a record of 5-4, winners of three of their last four matches. Weismiller is 14-6 in her career against Iowa.
Against Minnesota and Iowa
Indiana went 2-2 against Minnesota and Iowa in Big Ten play last season. The Hoosiers were 0-2 against the nationally-ranked Golden Gophers while sweeping Iowa. Here are results from last season's four matches:
2002 Against Minnesota:
Date W/L H/A Score
10/26/02 L H 30-19, 24-30, 30-18, 30-27
11/22/02 L A 23-30, 19-30, 22-30
2002 Against Iowa:
Date W/L H/A Score
10/25/02 W H 28-30, 30-24, 30-24, 30-24
11/23/02 W A 30-14, 30-25, 30-32, 30-27
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 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 5-0 when they hit .300 in a match and 2-4 when they do not reach the .300 mark. Last weekend, Indiana hit over .300 in victories over Saint Louis and Austin Peay. 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.
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 sits in the record books:
Kills
4th Melissa Brewer - 1,307
10th Christina Archibald - 1,123
Assists
6th Victoria Zimmerman - 2,357
Block Assists
3rd Melissa Brewer - 382
8th Katie Pollom - 229
Total Blocks
4th Brewer - 421
Double-Digit Streak Hits 22
Christina Archibald recorded double-digit kills in all three matches at the IU Credit Union Invitational. She has reached the 10-kill mark in all 11 matches this season, and dating back to last season, Archibald has notched at least 10 kills in 22 consecutive matches.
Archibald's teammate, Melissa Brewer, has the next longest double-digit kill streak at nine matches. Brewer has recorded 10 or more kills in 10 of the Hoosiers' 11 matches this season, and 14 of the last 15 matches she has played in.
Double-Double
Christina Archibald captured her fourth double-double of the season after nailing 25 kills and digging 11 balls in IU's victory over Western Kentucky in the championship match of the IU Credit Union Invitational. Last season, the Belleville, Ill., native recorded 11 double-doubles and now has 23 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 153 digs, averaging 3.48 digs per game appearing in 44 of the team's 45 games as the Hoosier libero.
In addition, the Decatur, Ind., native has gathered 10 or more digs in eight of Indiana's 11 matches this season. Including the final five matches of last season, Heimann has reached the 10-dig plateau in 12 of her last 16 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 month of the volleyball season, Christina Archibald and Beth Heimann are among the Big Ten leaders in four statistical categories. Archibald leads the conference with 204 kills and ranks third in the league averaging 4.53 kills per game. Meanwhile, Heimann ranks third in the Big Ten with 153 digs and sits in fifth place averaging 3.48 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. 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 Pounding Away
Middle blocker Katie Pollom is off to a great start early in the 2003 campaign. The Indianapolis, Ind., native ranks second on the team with five block solos, 29 block assists, 34 total blocks and is hitting .312. She is also tied for the team lead with 11 service aces and sits third on the squad with 126 kills and 2.80 kills per game. Pollom is showing why she earned a spot on the 2002 All-Big Ten team. The junior was also 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. Last weekend, against Western Kentucky, Zimmerman distributed a season-high 70 assists, helping the Hoosiers hit .457 and .368 in the third and fourth games en route to a 3-2 comeback victory. Overall this season, the junior has dished out 13.00 assists per game to go along with 118 digs (second on the team), 39 kills and 18 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.
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 40 of the team's 45 games and started 10 of the team's 11 matches. She ranks fourth on the team behind Heimann, Zimmerman and Archibald with 78 digs. In her best overall performance of the season, the Muncie, Ind., native hit .353 with eight kills and six digs in the Hoosiers four-game victory over Austin Peay.
Pritz Sees Increase In Action
Senior Monique Pritz shined during the offseason and has continued her impressive play in all four tournaments this season. Pritz has seen action in all 45 games, pounding 74 kills, hitting .279 (fourth on the team) and adding 26 block assists, good for fourth on the team. In the IU Credit Union Invitational, the Columbus, Ind., native carded 23 kills along with 12 block assists. In her most complete match of the IU Credit Union Invitational, Pritz recorded nine kills and five block assists in Indiana's, 3-0 victory over Saint Louis. 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 call 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 40 of the team's 45 games this season.
White has contributed 74 kills, fourth on the team, participating in each of the team's 11 matches this season. In the championship match last weekend, White recorded 11 kills, hitting .333, in the Hoosiers' victory over Western Kentucky. With her increased playing time, White has terminated 65 more kills than last season, the most significant improvement on the team.
Fantastic Freshmen
Freshmen defensive specialists Sara Diehl and Lindsay Cochrane have seen increased playing time in the last two tournaments and have become regular staples in the Hoosier rotation. Diehl has appeared in 32 of the team's 45 games, starting four of IU's 11 matches. Brought in for her defense and service game, the Bloomington, Ind., native has served five aces and compiled 37 digs this season.
Cochrane has appeared in 26 games this season with one start. Against Saint Louis, the Geneva, Ill., native gathered a career-and match-high 11 digs, a match-high. Overall this season, Cochrane has 42 digs and two service aces.
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.
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.
