Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers, Pollom Come Up Short Against Alabama
9/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
September 17, 2004
BOX SCORE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In its opening match of the TIS Bookstore Invitational, the Indiana volleyball team dropped a four-game match against Alabama, 30-25, 26-30, 31-33, 25-30. The Crimson Tide moves to 8-0, improving its best start in school history, while the Hoosiers fall to 6-3.
"We came out and we competed hard in the first game, but we made too many unforced errors down the stretch on our side of the net," said head coach Katie Weismiller. "You have to give Alabama credit, they are a great team. We got tentative in the third game and the fourth. We need to be more aggressive and play with more confidence."
Despite the defeat, senior Katie Pollom continued to dominant, producing 16 kills with a .324 hitting percentage. Senior Christina Archibald added 14 kills and 10 digs for her fourth straight double-double, and freshman Lauren Ditteon pounded out 14 kills (.400 hitting percentage).
Things started on a positive note, as IU took the opener by a 30-25 margin. Pollom reeled off three kills helping the Hoosiers build a 10-7 lead. Indiana stretched its advantage to 17-12 before Alabama sliced the lead to one at 19-18.
In need of an offensive boost, Archibald provided a spark, providing three kills in a 9-2 Hoosier run. The Tide scored four of the next five points, but Archibald ended the threat with her fourth kill of the game to give IU the victory.
Pollom recorded six of her kills in the opener, hitting at a .667 clip. Additionally, freshman Christine Nilles sliced the Alabama defense with four of her career-high five kills.
After dropping game two, the Hoosiers looked poised to rebound in game three. However, in a game featuring 10 tie and six lead changes, the Crimson Tide pulled out a 33-31 victory.
The teams were deadlocked at 11-11, when IU used an 8-3 run to take its largest lead of the game at 19-14. Alabama surged back, trimming the lead to 23-21 before Nilles answered with a kill of her own. Once again, the Tide roared back, this time running off seven of the next nine points to take a 28-26 advantage.
Junior Mandy Eberle and Ditteon evened the match with back-to-back kills, and a kill by Pollom put Indiana back in front 31-30. But the Crimson Tide could not be stopped, scoring the final three points for a 2-1 lead in the match.
With the Hoosiers holding a 20-15 advantage in the fourth game, it appeared a fifth game was imminent, but Alabama charged back one more time. The Tide netted 15 of the game's final 20 points, ending the game and the match with a 30-25 win.
"Alabama played tough at the end, and we got out of our aggressive play that we used to win the first game of the match," said Weismiller. "We need to work on consistency. We know what level we can play at, and our goal is achieve that at all times."
Eberle finished the night with 10 kills and seven block assists, and Nilles reached the 10-dig plateau for the fifth time this season (11 digs). In addition, sophomore Sara Diehl compiled 11 digs and two of the Hoosiers' nine service aces.
Erin Hefner led the Crimson Tide with 25 kills, 16 digs and a .380 hitting percentage, while Julie Farley closed the night with 13 kills and a .545 hitting percentage.
In the first match of the Invitational, Pittsburgh downed Kent State, 3-0.
Up next, IU returns to action tomorrow night for the conclusion of the TIS Bookstore Invitational. The Hoosiers will face Kent State at 12:30 p.m. and wrap up the tournament against the Pittsburgh Panthers at 7:30 p.m. at University Gym.
