Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Look to Bounce Back
8/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
August 2, 2004
The Indiana volleyball team is a blend of youth and experience heading into the 2004 campaign. The Hoosiers return a pair of starters and seven letterwinners overall while welcoming six newcomers.
Following the loss of seniors Melissa Brewer, Nikki Hill, Monique Pritz and Beth Heimann, the team has been looking to retool its approach with a more aggressive attitude.
"Our focus is going to be on the defensive end," said head coach Katie Weismiller. "We have to be more aggressive from the service line. We want to improve things on our side of the court. That is our focus going into the season. Our defense will create opportunities for us on the offensive end."
Leading the new look Hoosiers will be spectacular seniors Christina Archibald (Belleville, Ill./West) and Katie Pollom (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral). Two of the top players in the Big Ten, Archibald will be a key offensive performer, while Pollom will solidify the defense in the middle.
Junior middle blocker Mandy Eberle (Sussex, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) will be asked to help fill the shoes of the departed Brewer, and sophomores Lindsay Cochrane (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) and Sara Diehl (Bloomington, Ind./South) will be counted on the defensive end after strong freshman campaigns.
Additionally, sophomore Tasha Arsenych (Plano, Texas/East) will be given the opportunity to run the show as the team's setter, and Anne Grabow (Urbana, Ill./Urabana) returns for her sophomore season with a year of experience under her belt.
The Hoosiers also will bring in six newcomers (five freshmen and one transfer). Right side/outside hitter Rachel Gerling (Orange, Calif./Golden West JC), middle blocker/outside hitter Gabrielle Allison (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine), right side Lauren Ditteon (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo), middle blocker Annie Moddrell (Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg Community), outside hitter Christine Nilles (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) and outside hitter/setter Juli Pierce (Georgetown, Ind./Our Lady of Providence) all will have an opportunity for playing time in 2004.
Seniors
The seniors will be asked to direct this year's club. Christina Archibald and Katie Pollom will lead the Hoosiers and have the resumes to prove they can carry this team. Both are coming off successful 2003 seasons, and their names are scattered throughout the Hoosier record books.
Last season Archibald led IU with 468 kills, the third straight season she has led the team in kills. She posted 4.07 kills per game, 1,184 attempts and 26 service aces. The MVP of the IU Credit Union Invitational needs just 161 kills to break the career kills mark set by Brewer last year.
"We're looking forward to Christina having her best season ever. She has really gained in leadership and on-court presence. With her on the court as our go-to player, we look forward to a great season," said Weismiller.
Pollom, a co-captain for this year's club, will patrol the middle. In 2003, Pollom led the team with 25 block solos, was second with 84 block assists and 109 total blocks, and finished third with 328 kills and 2.88 kills per game. Pollom has led the Hoosiers in block solos the last two seasons and ranks sixth on IU's career list for block assists and total blocks.
 Sophomore Sara Diehl  |
|
Juniors
Mandy Eberle is the lone junior returning to the Hoosiers this season. Eberle will be counted on to help fill the void left by Brewer. Seeing limited playing time in her first two seasons, Eberle is prepared to make the jump into the starting rotation.
Eberle appeared in eight Big Ten matches last season and compiled a .256 hitting percentage. She nailed five kills against Northwestern and three kills apiece against Purdue and Michigan.
"Mandy, by far, has had the best spring of anyone on this team," said Weismiller. She is one of the best blockers on this team. We look for Mandy to come in and set some big blocking numbers for us."
Sophomores
After gaining a wealth of experience last season, Lindsay Cochrane and Sara Diehl are prepared to anchor the Hoosier defense. The two will see major playing time at defensive specialist and libero.
With 29 appearances and 10 starts, Cochrane did not show any apprehension in her debut season. Cochrane compiled 168 digs and 1.81 digs per game to go along with 11 service aces.
"Lindsay had a great spring. She is one of the best passers on the team," said Weismiller. "She gained a lot of confidence in the spring and knows she has to be a leader on the court."
Diehl, a co-captain with Pollom, excelled in her first season in Bloomington. Appearing in 26 of the team's 31 matches, Diehl recorded 100 digs and 11 service aces in addition to adding stability on the defensive end.
"Sara is by far the quickest defensive player we have. We're going to be looking to her for a lot of leadership both on and off the court. Her ability to motivate her teammates is going to be important," said Weismiller.
Also poised to insert herself in the starting rotation is setter Tasha Arsenych. Arsenych showed she could run the show with several breakthrough performances in 2003. Against Ohio State, she distributed a season-high 47 assists in addition to eight digs and six block assists. Arsenych also turned in 42 assists against Illinois and 20 assists against Penn State.
"Tasha has matured over the spring," said Weismiller. "She doesn't get distracted and stays very focused. One of her best attributes is her ability to distribute the same ball over and over again. We're looking forward to getting her some more experience."
Along with the aforementioned trio, Anne Grabow returns for her sophomore season. A tremendous athlete, Grabow will provide the Hoosiers with versatility on the offensive and defensive ends.
"Anne had a strong spring. She played a little defense and a little outside. We look at her as an all-around player. She'll have the opportunity to contribute as an outside and as a defensive player," said Weismiller.
Newcomers
Six newcomers will make their way to the squad in 2004. Rachel Gerling transfers from Golden West Junior College, where she led her team to a perfect 22-0 record and the state championship in 2003.
Joining Gerling will be a trio from Indiana and a pair from Illinois. Juli Pierce, Gabrielle Allison and Lauren Ditteon remain in the Hoosier state, while Christine Nilles and Annie Moddrell head to IU from Illinois.
Ditteon and Gerling will add some stability to the right side, with Allison and Moddrell adding some depth in the middle. Nilles will provide a spark at outside hitter, while Pierce will back-up Arsenych at setter.
 Sophomore Lindsay Cochrane |
|
Schedule
Indiana once again faces a daunting schedule in 2004. In addition to 14 games against Big Ten teams who made the 2003 NCAA tournament, including Final Four participant Minnesota, the non-conference slate features matches against tournament teams Murray State and Pittsburgh.
Before the Big Ten season IU will host a pair of tournaments and head to Arlington, Texas, for the Texas-Arlington Invitational. Indiana will open the season hosting the IU Invitational with Murray State, Saint Louis and Oregon State scheduled to appear. Up next, the Hoosiers will travel to Arlington to face Arkansas-Little Rock, Houston and Texas-Arlington. IU will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule facing Alabama, Kent State and Pittsburgh at the TIS Bookstore Invitational.
"We open up with some great competition," said Weismiller. "Our preseason schedule is tough. We need to set the tone early in the preseason, because we open our Big Ten season with four straight road matches. Hopefully we'll gain some early experience that will help us in the Big Ten."
