Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Hosts Purdue, No. 25 Illinois
11/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
IU then hopes to defeat Illinois on Friday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Previously, Indiana dropped a 3-0 contest to the Fighting Illini on Sept. 25, in Champaign.
Last week, the Hoosiers dropped the first two battles of the homestand with a 3-0 loss to Michigan on Nov. 5, before suffering a 3-1 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 6.
Senior Christina Archibald paced IU last week with 26 kills and a 3.71 kills per game average, while sophomore Tasha Arsenych set up most of Archibald's kills with 67 assists. Junior Mandy Eberle was solid at the net with six block assists, while freshman Juli Pierce posted 25 digs.
SCOUTING PURDUE
Purdue heads into Wednesday's match with a 12-12 record, including a 5-9 mark in the Big Ten. After struggling through seven losses in eight matches, the Boilermakers split a pair of contests last week. First, they knocked off Michigan State, 3-1, in West Lafayette, Ind., on Nov. 4, before losing to Michigan, 3-2, at home on Nov. 6.
Against MSU, junior Leah Wischmeier led Purdue with 22 kills as a part of a double-double with 11 digs. A trio of Boilermakers also posted double-digit kills totals with senior Kim McConaha (15), senior Kim Cappa (13) and freshman Samantha Mader (13) adding 41 put-aways. In their match-up with Michigan, Wischmeier notched 22 kills, just in front of McConaha's 20. The squad also dominated defensively with 89 total digs, with senior Daren Poe's 22 saves leading the Boilermakers.
Wischmeier leads Purdue with 375 kills, while connecting at a .289 clip. Junior Renata Dargan serves as the primary setter for the Boilermakers with 1,127 of the team's 1,395 total assists.
SCOUTING NO. 25 ILLINOIS
No. 25 Illinois enters the week with a 17-6 record, including a 9-5 league ledger. After witnessing their only losing streak of the season with back-to-back losses to Minnesota and Penn State, the Fighting Illini have won four of their last five contests. Illinois knocked off Wisconsin, 3-0, on Nov. 6 and Northwestern, 3-1, on Nov. 6.
Against Wisconsin, junior Rachel VanMeter hit .208 with 18 kills, while senior Lauren Harks swept the floor with 17 digs. Freshman Stephanie Obermeier served as the primary setter with 41 kills, while freshman Jen Hynds defended the net with eight block assists. In the win against Northwestern, VanMeter notched 20 kills, while junior Rasa Virsilaite putaway 17 and her classmate Jessica Belter drilled 15 of her own. Senior Kathleen Barzetta paced three Fighting Illini with 19 digs, while Obermeier tallied 53 assists.
VanMeter leads Illinois with 375 kills, while recording an incredible 4.41 kill per game. Harks serves as the primary defender with a team-high 267 digs.
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 added 16 kills later that night against Pittsburgh and added 10 kills at Purdue (9/22) to push her career total to 1,574.
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 two, and classmate Lauren Ditteon's one.
Additionally, after recording 13 kills against Michigan State, Christina Archibald has reached the 10-plus kill mark in 66 of her last 72 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 eight times over the last three seasons (89 matches).
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.
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 111 total blocks and 99 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 .260 hitting percentage ranks second on the team, and she is third on the club with 225 kills and 2.42 kills per game.
Nilles has been a force on the defensive end with a team-high 262 digs. She has had 12 double-digit dig performances, including a season-high 27 against Michigan on Oct. 2.
LETS GET DEFENSIVE
Sophomore Lindsay Cochrane provides the Hoosiers with a strong defensive presence as one of the team's liberos. She set a new 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. 8 spot, while Illinois sits at No. 25 to round out the Big Ten contingent in the top 25. Wisconsin 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 343 kills and 3.69 kills per game, while Archibald has 341 kills and a 3.67 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 honors.
