Indiana University Athletics
IU Wins 12th Straight Opener Against IUPUI
9/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
September 1, 2004
BOX SCORE
INDIANAPOLIS - 12 up, 12 down. The Indiana volleyball team earned its 12th straight season-opening victory, knocking off IUPUI, 30-23, 28-30, 30-25, 30-20, on Wednesday night in the first-ever appearance by a Hoosier athletic team at IUPUI. IU's victory moves head coach Katie Weismiller to a perfect 12-0 in season openers at Indiana.
"We've got a lot of new faces on the court. IUPUI is tough team and a great ball-control team. They hustle and keep a lot of balls alive. Overall, I'm really pleased," said Weismiller.
Three Hoosiers produced double-digit kill performances, including seniors Christina Archibald (15) and Katie Pollom (13). Archibald also added nine digs.
"Christina had a great start," said Weismiller. "She took a lot of swings for us. Christina and I smiled afterwards knowing this is going to be the beginning. She is looking to build off of this game."
Additionally, freshman Lauren Ditteon added 12 kills and four block assists in her first collegiate action, while junior Mandy Eberle came up big with eight kills, three block solos and five block assists.
"I was a little nervous, but I had a lot of fun. I'm glad I have the opportunity to play at IU," said Ditteon.
The match opened with a pair IU's talented freshmen on display, as Ditteon and Christine Nilles picked up their first Hoosier kills, accounting for the first two IU points. After the teams split the first 14 points, Nilles recorded her second kill of the game and Pollom and Ditteon added a block assist apiece, as Indiana built a 10-7 lead.
IUPUI came back with three unanswered points to even it up at 10-10, but IU responded with a 6-2 run to take a four-point advantage. The Jaguars sliced the Hoosier lead to 18-17 before Archibald and Eberle took over. Archibald pounded one kill with one block assist, while Eberle accounted for three kills and two block assists during a 7-0 IU run. The Hoosiers cruised the rest of the way, winning game one, 30-23.
In the game, Pollom and Archibald each finished with three kills. Nilles added two kills and five digs, with Eberle closing out with two kills, one block solo and two block assists.
After falling behind 19-6 in game two, Archibald led Indiana on a furious rally to get back into the game. The Belleville, Ill., native pounded five kills and two service aces in the game, including four kills in a pivotal 13-3 Hoosier run, which evened the game at 23-23. With the scored tied at 24-24, Ditteon claimed her sixth kill of the match to give IU its first lead of the game at 25-24.
IUPUI tallied the next point to even the game once again, but Indiana used a block from Pollom and sophomore Tasha Arsenych and two kills from Nilles to take a two-point lead at 28-26. However, the Jaguars rallied, scoring the final four points of the game for a 30-28 victory, evening the match at 1-1.
Pollom (three kills, one block) matched the Jaguars point for point the first eight points of the third game, helping the Hoosiers grab an early 9-7 advantage. As was the case in game two, IUPUI bounced back, running off seven of the next nine points for a 16-11 lead.
With the Jaguars leading 20-16, Indiana earned the next six points with the help of Eberle (one kill, two block assists) and Ditteon, who capped the run with her first kill of the game, to reclaim the lead at 22-20. IUPUI closed the gap to 25-24, but Archibald terminated a kill and Eberle and Arsenych combined on a block to make it 27-24. A Jaguar error ended the game, with the Hoosiers hanging on for a 30-25 win and a 2-1 lead heading into game four.
Indiana hit .333 as a team in game three, with Pollom and Ditteon contributing four and three kills, respectively.
IU used the momentum it gained in game three and opened game four on an 8-3 run. IUPUI stormed back to even it at 12-12, and the teams split the next four points before the Hoosiers took the lead for good. A Nilles' kill coupled with a block by Archibald and Pollom helped push the Indiana margin to 17-14.
The closest the Jaguars would get the rest of the way was 18-17, but Archibald and Eberle picked up one kill apiece, which along with a pair of IUPUI errors pushed the advantage to 23-17. IU never trailed the rest of the way, cruising to a 30-20 victory to conclude the match.
In addition to Ditteon's performance, Nilles also shined in her first collegiate match. The Mundelein, Ill., product pounded eight kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Lindsay Cochrane led the Hoosiers with 13 digs, and Arsenych finished the night with 50 assists.
Up next, the Hoosiers will host the IU Credit Union Invitational on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 3-4, at University Gym. Indiana will face Murray State at 7 p.m. on Friday before taking on Saint Louis at 12:30 p.m. and Oregon State at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
