Indiana University Athletics
NU, Wisconsin Preview
11/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
IU then hopes to defeat Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. Previously, Indiana dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Badgers on Oct. 15 in Madison.
Last week, the Hoosiers dropped both contests as IU lost a tough 3-2 decision to Iowa on Thursday, Nov. 18, before falling to No. 5 Minnesota 3-0 on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Pollom led IU last week with 27 kills, a 3.38 kills per game average, and a .317 attack percentage, while freshman Lauren Ditteon matched Pollom with 27 kills and a 3.38 kills per game average. Freshman Juli Pierce led the defense with 33 digs, good for 4.12 a game.
SAYING GOOD-BYE TO SENIOR CHRISTINA ARCHIBALD
Senior outside hitter Christina Archibald will leave Indiana as the Hoosiers' all-time leader in kills.
Archibald has collected 1,777 kills in her career, 230 more than Melissa Brewer, who held the record until Archibald eclipsed the mark earlier this season against Kent State on Sept. 17.
One of the most versatile players in IU history, Archibald is just one dig away from becoming just the fourth Hoosier to post 1,000 kills and digs in her career. Her 999 digs entering weekend play was seventh in school history, and with 14 digs in the final two games, she has a chance to climb up to fifth on the all-time digs list. She has also accumulated 112 service aces, good for seventh on the records list.
At the net, Archibald has posted 245 blocks assists and 272 total blocks, ranking her seventh and 10th, respectively, in school history.
The Belleville, Ill., native was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2001 and was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2002.
Archibald has accomplished all this as a two-sport star, as she has enjoyed success as a high jumper on the IU Track and Field Team.
SAYING GOOD-BYE TO SENIOR KATIE POLLOM
Senior Katie Pollom enters her final weekend of play donning a Cream and Crimson uniform.
A 2002 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, Pollom will go down as one of the most productive players in IU history, ending her career in the top ten in several categories. Pollom became just the 11th member of the 1,000 kills club, and has amassed 1,309 kills entering the weekend, sixth most in school history.
If she can finish the season with her current hitting percentage of .309, Pollom will finish her career as only the fifth Hoosier to close out a season with over .300 hitting. Her career .258 hitting percentage is also currently the sixth highest in school history.
Offense is not the only strong part of her game as the middle blocker has recorded 60 solo blocks, 367 blocks assists and 427 total blocks, good for sixth, fourth and fourth, respectively, in school history.
An exceptional student-athlete as well, Pollom has been an academic All-Big Ten selection since her freshman year.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern heads into Friday's match with an 8-20 record, including a 3-15 mark in the Big Ten. The Wildcats have had a tough season so far and have lost 10 of their last 11 matches. Last weekend, Northwestern fell to Michigan State, 3-0, in Evanston, on Nov. 19, before losing to Michigan, 3-0, on Nov. 20, at home as well.
Against MSU, freshmen Courtnie Paulus and Lindsay Anderson led NU with double-digit kill totals of 11 and 10, respectively. Meanwhile, junior Christie Gardner posted a team-high 13 digs from the libero position. In their match-up with Michigan, seniors Leah Delcourt and Drew Robertson played their final match in front of a friendly crowd as Delcourt recorded four kills and a block assist, while Robertson posted 34 helpers to become the first Wildcat in the 5,000-assist club with a total of 5,006.
Anderson leads Northwestern with 246 kills, while connecting at a .162 clip. Robertson serves as the primary setter with 1,071 of the team's 1,269 assists, while Gardner patrols the floor for the Wildcats with 405 digs.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Wisconsin enters the week with an 18-8 record, including a 12-6 league ledger. After suffering through a three-match losing streak against Illinois (3-0), Penn State (3-1) and Ohio State (3-0), the Badgers bounced back with back-to-back home wins against Michigan on Nov. 19, 3-0, and Michigan State, on Nov. 20, 3-1.
Against the Wolverines, sophomore Maria Carlini, senior Jill Odenthal and junior Sheila Shaw each recorded 13 kills, while Carlini posted a career-high .550 hitting percentage. Freshman Taylor Reineke also came up strong at the net with three block assists and one block solo. In the win over the Spartans, Carlini led Wisconsin with a career-high 19 kills, while Shaw and junior Aubrey Meierotto notched double-digit kill totals with 13 and 12, respectively.
Shaw leads Wisconsin with 360 kills, while recording a solid 3.87 kills per game, while freshman Jocelyn Wack sweeps the floor for the Badgers with a team-high 448 digs.
INKING THE FUTURE
Head Coach Katie Weismiller and the Indiana University volleyball program announced the signing of six student-athletes for the 2005-06 academic year. Laura Katherine de Lambert Holm (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), Jessica Langert (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic), Kari Morgenstein (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson), Ashley Shaufler (Salem, Wis./Westosha Central), Erica Short (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville) and Emily Zulauf (Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) will look to replace outgoing seniors Christina Archibald and Katie Pollom, beginning with the 2005-06 campaign.
KEEP DIGGING, NILLES!
Freshman Christine Nilles currently sits in second on IU's single-season rookie dig chart with 303 saves. Former Hoosier standout Jen Magelssen set the standard with 378 digs in 1995.
PUTTING IT AWAY - THE .300 CLUB
Senior Katie Pollom continues to prove her offensive prowess for Indiana. If she can finish the season with her current hitting percentage of .309, she will finish her career as only the fifth Hoosier to close out a season with over .300 hitting. Amanda Welter set the program standard in 2000 with a .338 clip, while Melissa Brewer accomplished the feat twice with a .312 in 2002 and a .311 in 2003. Diane Hoereth posted a .304 in 1989, while Julie Flatley recorded a .303 in 1995.
RETURN TO SENDER
Junior Mandy Eberle's 102 block assists ties former IU defensive stalwart Julie Goedde's 1998 total for ninth place on the single-season block assist chart. Eberle's next target is Anne Eastman's 105 tally.
1,000 REASONS TO LIKE POLLOM
Against Texas-Arlington (9/11), Katie Pollom became the 11th member of the Indiana volleyball 1,000 kills club. The senior from Indianapolis entered the all-time top 10, with her 11 kills against Penn State on Oct. 9.
WELCOME TO THE 400-BLOCK CLUB
Against Northwestern (10/16), Katie Pollom became the fifth member of the Indiana volleyball 400 total block club.
ARCHIBALD ALL-TIME KILLS LEADER
In Indiana's match against Kent State (9/17) at the TIS Bookstore Invitational, senior outside hitter Christina Archibald etched her name into the Hoosier record book. Archibald drilled 26 kills, breaking former Hoosier standout Melissa Brewer's mark of 1,547. The Belleville, Ill., native currently has 1,777 kills.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Following a 13-kill and 11-dig performance against Iowa (10/23), senior Christina Archibald picked up her eighth double-double this season. The senior garnered eight double-doubles in 2003 and now has 35 in her illustrious career. Archibald leads the team in double-doubles, ahead of freshman Christine Nilles, who has three, and classmates Lauren Ditteon and Juli Pierce's one each.
Additionally, after recording 14 kills against Iowa, Christina Archibald has reached the 10-plus kill mark in 69 of her last 76 matches, including a 21-match skein that ended with eight kills against Illinois on Sept. 25. Dating back to the start of the 2002 season, Archibald has only missed the 10-kill plateau nine times over the last three seasons (93 matches).
HAVE A NIGHT
Christina Archibald turned in one of the most impressive all-around performances in Indiana volleyball history against IPFW (9/14). The senior outside hitter recorded 30 kills, the third-highest total in a five-game match in school history. The last time a Hoosier pounded out 30 kills in a match was in 1998, when Ryann Connors drilled 35 kills against Purdue on Nov. 7.
CAREER NIGHT AGAINST THE MASTODONS
Indiana's match against IPFW saw several standout performances from the Hoosiers. Katie Pollom broke her previous career high of 23 kills (Michigan, 11/9/02) with 28 kills. The junior middle blocker also carded a season-high .533 hitting percentage.
Freshman Juli Pierce recorded a career-high 13 digs, while sophomore Tasha Arsenych netted a career-high 62 assists and matched a then-career high with nine digs.
As a team, the Hoosiers hit a season-high .375 and recorded a season-best 84 kills.
CAREER NIGHT TIMES TWO
Indiana also set a variety of career highs in its 3-2 thriller against Michigan on Oct. 2. Katie Pollom and Tasha Arsenych posted personal bests for attacks with 56 and 16, respectively, while Rachel Gerling drilled 12 kills for her benchmark. Defensively, Lauren Ditteon, Christine Nilles and Juli Pierce all recorded watershed marks for digs with seven, 27 and 16. Last, but certainly not least, Mandy Eberle registered 10 total put-backs for a career-best block total.
CAREER NIGHT HO-HUM?
Posting career nights is fast becoming a trend for the Cream and Crimson in the latter half of the season. Against Northwestern (10/16), Indiana recorded 10 personal standards. Senior Christina Archibald registered 61 attacks, while tying her career-best with four service aces. Sophomore Tasha Arsenych also registered watershed marks in attacks (21) and service aces (two), while freshman Lauren Ditteon put-away 15 kills on 35 attacks as well as tallied 11 digs - all personal bests. Additionally, classmate Christine Nilles attacked the Wildcat defense a career-high 35 times and tied her career best with a solo block, while freshman Juli Pierce swept the floor with 26 saves.
TEXAS TWO-STEP
For the second consecutive tournament, IU garnered a second-place finish at the Texas-Arlington Invitational (9/10-11). The Hoosiers downed Arkansas-Little Rock and Houston, 3-1, before falling to Texas-Arlington, 0-3, in the final match of the tournament.
The previous weekend, Indiana finished second at the IU Credit Union Invitational (9/3-4). After scoring a sweep of Murray State, the Hoosiers fell to eventual champion Saint Louis in the second match. Indiana came back strong with a sweep of Oregon State in the finale, closing out the tournament with the same 2-1 record as Saint Louis. The Billikens picked up the championship due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
HOOSIER HONOR ROLL
Katie Pollom was selected to her third all-tournament team in three events at the TIS Bookstore Invitational. The honor comes on the heels of the Texas-Arlington Invitational, where Pollom and Christina Archibald were named to the all-tournament team. Pollom recorded 39 kills (3.55 kpg) to go with nine blocks (.82) and six service aces. Archibald posted 37 kills (3.36), 29 digs (2.64) and four blocks (.36).
Pollom and freshman Lauren Ditteon were selected to the all-tournament team at the IU Credit Union Invitational. Pollom was dominant at the event, leading the Hoosiers with 46 kills while hitting a .439. The Indianapolis, native also added one block solo and seven block assists. Ditteon chipped in with 26 kills, averaging 2.89 kills per game and eight block assists.
EBERLE EASING IN
Filling in for the departed Melissa Brewer, junior Mandy Eberle has been more than capable. The Sussex, Wis., native leads the team with 114 total blocks and 102 block assists. She set a career-high with nine block assists in back-to-back games against Kent State and Pittsburgh at the TIS Bookstore Invitational.
FITTING RIGHT IN
Freshmen Lauren Ditteon and Christine Nilles have been regulars in the Hoosier rotation and have proven they belong with outstanding performances. Ditteon's .267 hitting percentage ranks second on the team, and she is third on the club with 272 kills and 2.50 kills per game.
Nilles has been a force on the defensive end with a team-high 303 digs. She has had 14 double-digit dig performances, including a season-high 27 against Michigan on Oct. 2.
LET'S GET DEFENSIVE
Sophomore Lindsay Cochrane provides the Hoosiers with a strong defensive presence as one of the team's liberos. She set a career high with 17 digs against Texas-Arlington.
Along with Cochrane, freshman Juli Pierce has provided a spark on the defensive end. Pierce set a career high with 26 digs against Northwestern. Against IPFW, Pierce broke out with a 13-dig performance after corralling 15 digs at the Texas-Arlington Invitational. Additionally, Pierce notched 25 saves against Wisconsin on Oct. 15.
OPPONENTS RANKED AMONG BEST
Five Big Ten opponents are ranked or are receiving votes in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll. Penn State is ranked No. 4, while Minnesota is also in the top 10 at No. 5. Ohio State cracked the top 10 for the No. 9 spot, while Wisconsin and Illinois also received votes.
HOME SWEET HOME (CENTURY MARK)
With a Sept. 3, 3-0, win over Murray State in the IU Credit Union Invitational, Indiana claimed its 100th triumph in the University Gym.
SUCCESSFUL SEASON OPENERS
12 up, 12 down. The Hoosiers improved to a perfect 12-0 in season openers under head coach Katie Weismiller after defeating IUPUI in four games (30-23, 28-30, 30-25, 30-20). In its 30th season, Indiana has compiled a 23-7 record in season-opening matches. IU's last loss in a season-opening match was a three-game sweep at Kentucky on September 4, 1992.
SENIORS LEAD THE CHARGE
Christina Archibald and Katie Pollom are the only seniors on this year's young IU team. Along with the senior duo, the Hoosiers have two juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen. If there are two examples to follow on the court, Archibald and Pollom are as good as anyone. The one-two punch leads the Hoosiers in kills, as
Pollom leads the squad with 406 kills and 3.72 kills per game, while Archibald has 390 kills and a 3.58 kills per game average.
ARCHIBALD PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Indiana senior outside hitter Christina Archibald was selected to the preseason All-Big Ten team. Archibald is one of 12 players on the team from nine different league institutions.
AFFOLDER ARRIVES IN BLOOMINGTON
Matt Affolder, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois University, is in his first season as an assistant coach at IU. Affolder's main responsibilities with the Hoosiers include handling the team's travel arrangements, equipment, video breakdown and on-court instruction. He is no stranger to the state of Indiana, as he is a native of Decatur. Affolder served as a coach for the Munciana (Muncie, Ind.) Volleyball Club for seven years (1993-99), where he coached former Hoosiers Nikki Hill and Hillary Toivonen.
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 2004, Archibald placed second in the high jump at the Big Ten Championships with a personal-best clearance of 5'11 1/4''. In 2002, Archibald finished in a fourth-place tie in the high jump at the Big Ten Championships with a leap of 5'7 3/4''. The jump tied her for the best finish in the event by a freshman.
NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK
Embarking on a new season, the Hoosiers will provide a new look on the court. IU welcomes six newcomers to the squad. Transfer Rachel Gerling (Orange, Calif./Golden West JC) joins freshmen Gabrielle Allison (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine), Lauren Ditteon (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo), Annie Moddrell (Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg Community), Christine Nilles (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) and Juli Pierce (Georgetown, Ind./Our Lady of Providence).
FIT TO LEAD
Katie Pollom and Sara Diehl will serve as the team co-captains this season. For Pollom, this marks the third straight year she will serve as the team's captain. Diehl is just a sophomore, but will be asked to lead on the defensive side of the ball.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Academic success has been a staple under head coach Katie Weismiller and last year was no exception. Seven Hoosiers earned a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten team, including Melissa Brewer, Mandy Eberle, Beth Heimann, Nikki Hill, Katie Pollom, Monique Pritz and Victoria Zimmerman. During the past four years, 32 Hoosiers have received Academic All-Big Ten recognition.
