Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers to Host TIS Invitational
9/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
September 16, 2004
TIS Bookstore Invitational Notes
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana volleyball team hosts the TIS Bookstore Invitational and welcomes Alabama, Kent State and Pittsburgh to Bloomington for the tournament. IU enters the weekend with a 6-2 record after defeating IPFW in five games on Tuesday night.
Below is a look at the schedule for the Invitational:
Friday
Kent State vs. Pittsburgh 4 p.m.
IU vs. Alabama 7 p.m.
Saturday
Alabama vs. Pittsburgh 10 a.m.
IU vs. Kent State 12:30 p.m.
Kent State vs. Alabama 4:30 p.m.
IU vs. Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
To get live statistics, scoring and updates for all of the matches this weekend click here.
This year marks the third time the Hoosiers have hosted the Invitational. Indiana is 4-2 in the previous two tournaments, finishing in second place both times. At last season's event, the Hoosiers swept IUPUI and defeated Southeast Missouri State, 3-1, before falling to Wisconsin-Green Bay in a hard-fought five-game battle.
The TIS is the second tournament Indiana has hosted this season. On Sept. 3-4, the Hoosiers picked up a second-place finish at the IU Credit Union Invitational. IU swept Murray State and Oregon State but fell to Saint Louis. Senior Katie Pollom and freshman Lauren Ditteon were selected to the all-tournament team.
After this weekend's event, the Hoosiers open Big Ten play next week. Indiana opens the Conference season at Purdue on Wednesday, Sept. 22, and travels to Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 25.
HOOSIER OPPONENTS
The Crimson Tide of Alabama roll into Bloomington with a 7-0 record, the best start in school history. With its most recent victory over Birmingham-Southern, 3-0, Alabama has won the most matches to start a season since volleyball returned to the Capstone in 1989. The win over Birmingham-Southern also marked the Tide's 20th consecutive victory over an in-state opponent. Alabama has only lost four games all season. Like the Hoosiers, the Crimson Tide competed at the Texas-Arlington Invitational and posted a 2-0 record with victories over UTA (3-1) and Arkansas-Little Rock. Erin Heffner, a senior All-American candidate, averaged 6.67 kills a game last week and leads the SEC at 6.44 kpg this season. She moved into second on Alabama's career kill list with 1,652 and needs just 53 more to become the school's all-time leader. The Hoosiers are 1-2 in the all-time series against the Crimson Tide, sweeping the last meeting between the two in Bloomington (9/19/98).
Kent State enters the TIS Invitational with a 2-2 overall mark. The Golden Flashes have not played since Sept. 3-4, where they went 2-1 at the Bearcat Invitational. Kent knocked off the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in four games and swept Bradley before falling to host and tournament champion Cincinnati in the championship match. Outside hitter Danielle Holt leads the team with 54 kills and a 2.33 kills per game average. The junior is also second on the team with 42 digs. Last season, the Hoosiers opened its season with a five-game victory over the Golden Flashes in the opening round of the Miami Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla. IU knocked off Kent State, 30-27, 27-30, 28-30, 30-23, 15-11, giving Indiana a 2-0 lead in the all-time series.
Pittsburgh dropped rides into the TIS with a 4-3 record following a sweep of Duquense on Wednesday night. Prior to Wednesday's win, the Panthers dropped a 3-0 decision to the 20th-ranked University of San Diego volleyball team on Sept. 11, in the Panthers' final match of the Colorado Invitational. Pittsburgh finished the tournament 1-2 with a victory over North Carolina, 3-1, after falling to the host Colorado Buffaloes, 3-0. Gini Ullery leads the Panthers with 79 kills and 4.65 kills per game. The junior outside hitter also has 47 digs on the season. Junior libero Megan McGrane is the team leader with 104 digs and 5.47 digs per game. Indiana picked up a 3-0 victory at Pittsburgh the last time the two schools faced off to even the all-time series at one game apiece.
HAVE A DAY
Christina Archibald turned in one of the most impressive all-around performances in Indiana volleyball history against IPFW. 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.
ARCHIBALD CLOSING IN ON MILESTONE
Following her 30-kill performance at IPFW, Christina Archibald has 122 kills on the season. She now needs 39 kills to set the Hoosier all-time kills record (1,547), which was set last year by former Hoosier great Melissa Brewer.
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 career high with nine digs.
As a team, the Hoosiers hit a season-high .375 and recorded a season-best 84 kills.
TIS INVITATIONAL REVISITED
This year marks the third season of the TIS Bookstore Invitational. Last season, the Hoosiers finished second at the event, downing IUPUI, 3-0, and Southeast Missouri State, 3-1. IU dropped the championship match, 3-2, against UW-Green Bay. In 2002, Dayton took home the inaugural championship, as Indiana finished with a 2-1 record.
TEXAS TWO-STEP
For the second consecutive tournament, IU garnered a second-place finish at the Texas-Arlington Invitational. The Hoosiers downed Arkansas-Little Rock and Houston, 3-1, before falling to Texas-Arlington in the final match of the tournament.
The previous weekend, Indiana finished second at the IU Credit Union Invitational. 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
Two Hoosiers were awarded for their play at the Texas-Arlington Invitational, as Katie 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).
The honor was Pollom's second straight all-tournament selection. 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 33 block assists and is second on the team with three block solos. She set a career-high with eight block assists against Murray State and three block solos at IUPUI. The middle blocker has compiled at least five block assists in four of the team's eight matches this season. In addition, Eberle has added 68 kills while hitting .299.
FITTING RIGHT IN
Freshmen Lauren Ditteon and Christine Nilles have been regulars in the Hoosier rotation the first two weeks of the season and have showed they belong with outstanding performances. Ditteon's .335 hitting percentage ranks second on the team, and she ranks third on the club with 78 kills and 2.69 kills per game. The Terre Haute, Ind., native has recorded 10-plus kills in five of the team's eight matches.
Nilles has been a force on the defensive end with 34 digs, the second most on the team. She has had four double-digit dig performances, including a season-high 18 against Houston at the Texas-Arlington Invitational.
LETS GET DEFENSIVE
Sophomore Lindsay Cochrane provides the Hoosiers with a strong defensive presence as the team's libero. She set a new career high with 17 digs against Texas-Arlington, and she has recorded double-digit digs in all eight matches this season. Cochrane leads the team with 114 digs and a 4.07 digs per game average.
Along with Cochrane, freshman Juli Pierce has provided a spark on the defensive end. Pierce set a career high with 13 digs against IPFW after corralling 15 digs at the Texas-Arlington Invitational.
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 has recorded 59 while hitting a team-best .426, and Archibald has nailed 55. The duo also leads the squad with four service aces each.
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.
OPPONENTS RANKED AMONG BEST
Eight Big Ten opponents are ranked or are receiving votes in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll. Minnesota is ranked No.1 for the first time in school history, while Penn State and Illinois are in top 10 at No. 5 and 9, respectively. Ohio State is the final Big Ten team ranked in the Sept. 13 poll at No. 25. Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin are receiving votes
