Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Play Host To TIS Bookstore Invitational
8/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
TIS Bookstore Invitational Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Indiana volleyball team will open up its 2006 home campaign this weekend when it hosts Maryland, Marshall and Chicago State in the TIS Bookstore Invitational. The Hoosiers will face Marshall at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, and then take on Chicago State on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 12:30 p.m. and Maryland at 7:00 p.m. All matches will be played in University Gym and are free of charge.
Successful Openers
14 up, 14 down. The Hoosiers improved to a perfect 14-0 in season openers under head coach Katie Weismiller after defeating Akron in three games (30-24, 30-28, 30-21). In its 31st season, Indiana has compiled a 24-7 record in season-opening matches. IU's last loss in a season-opening match was a three-game sweep at Kentucky on Sept. 4, 1992.
Raking In The Honors
Senior Lauren Ditteon was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 West Virginia Tournament. The junior, who was also named the IU Student-Athlete of the Week following her performance at the tournament as well, wrapped up her three matches with 33 kills and just five errors in 68 attempts for a .412 hitting percentage on the weekend.
In addition to Ditteon's honor, sophomore Erica Short and senior Sara Diehl were named to the West Virginia Tournament All-Tournament Team.
500 wins
With its win over Oakland on Aug. 26, IU notched its 500th win as a program. Indiana entered the season with 498 wins in the school's history.
Same Place, New Feel
When the Hoosiers take to the court in University Gym on Friday, the building may be the same, but the playing surface is brand new. This fall season will mark the debut of the new state-of-the art hardwood playing surface, a change from the SportsCourt floor that had been part of the facility since IU Volleyball began calling the facility home in 1996.
On The Grand Stage
The Indiana volleyball match on Nov. 10 will be televised on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (CSN Chicago) as part of the Big Ten Conference's 14-match television lineup, the conference office has announced. The 2006 television schedule will feature each conference school in action at least once during the volleyball season on three different networks.
Battling The Bigs
According to the preseason CSTV/AVCA poll, Indiana will be battling five ranked opponents this season. Big Ten foes Penn State (No. 2), Wisconsin (No. 9), Purdue (No. 16), Minnesota (No. 22) and Ohio State (No. 23) all open the season in the top 25.
Senior Leadership
For the third straight season, IU will have only two seniors on its roster. Sara Diehl and Anne Grabow will be looked to for leadership with such a young squad.
A Banner Year
Erica Short eclipsed Indiana's single-season freshman kill mark in 2005, wrapping up her first collegiate season with 398. The previous record was set by Christina Archibald in 2001 with 364. Sara Diehl also posted the seventh-highest dig total in school history with 360. Another returning player who made her mark on the IU record books in 2005 was Anne Moddrell, whose .291 hitting percentage is the eighth-best in school history. Her 106 block assists also tied for ninth on the single-season list.
Sixth Time's A Charm
The Indiana volleyball team earned the prestigious Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 2005-06 season. It is the sixth time that IU has been awarded the honor and the second season in a row. The Hoosiers, who also won the award in 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05, are the only Big Ten volleyball program to earn the honor in 2005-06.
"I am very excited for the team," said head coach Katie Weismiller. "We have accomplished a very high tradition of academic success, which is wonderful. Also, I am very proud that once again our GPA was one of the top at IU and in the Big Ten for volleyball."
The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors college and high school teams that displayed excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average during the school year.
Newcomers
After a season in which Weismiller welcomed 10 newcomers to the Hoosier program, just two new players will take to the court for IU this season. Freshman Allison Regas (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) and junior transfer Caitlin Watts (Columbus, Ind./Miami (Ohio)) are both setters who should see playing time for Indiana this season.
