Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Open Home Slate With Two Ranked Opponents
9/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
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Sept. 27, 2006
The Indiana volleyball team will open the 2006 home Big Ten slate this weekend when they host No. 2 Penn State and No. 13 Ohio State in University Gym. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hoosiers split their first Big Ten weekend with a 3-2 win over No. 19 Michigan on Friday and a 3-1 loss at Michigan State on Saturday. It was the first time since 2003 that the Hoosiers had captured the conference opener.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State, ranked No. 2 in the most recent CSTV/AVCA Poll, brings a 13-0 overall record and a 2-0 conference mark into the weekend. The Nittany Lions are led offensively by Nicole Fawcett with 190 kills and Megan Hodge with 189 kills and 12 service aces. Defensively, Melissa Walbridge has 73 blocks and Christa Harmotto has 67.
In the all-time series, the Hoosiers have never defeated Penn State. The series stands at 31-0 in the favor of the Nittany Lions. Last season, Penn State swept both matches, 3-0.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
Ohio State, ranked No. 13, enters the weekend with a record of 11-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Offensively, the Buckeyes are led by Danielle Meyers, who averages 5.36 kils per game. Following her is Anna Szerszen with an average of 4.62 kills per game. As a team, Ohio State averages 16.80 kills per game and has a team hitting percentage of .338.
In the all-time series, Ohio State leads with a 36-22 mark. Last season, the Buckeyes took both matches, a 3-0 sweep at home in Columbus and a 3-1 victory in University Gym.
SETTING NEW MARKS
In the victory over No. 19 Michigan on Sept. 15, Indiana had 23 total blocks, third-best performance in the programs history. It is also the most blocks in a five-game match in Indiana history. The 10 solo blocks recorded by the team also stands as a tie for fourth in program history and ties the most ever in a five-game match.
Emily Zulauf set a new career-high with 14 kills, shattering her previous career-best (8) that was set the previous weekend against Mercer. Erica Short and Annie Moddrell each had three solo blocks in the win, which ties them with former Hoosier Rachel Gerling for first on the all-time list in five-game matches.
DEFENDING THE NET
The Big Ten Conference named junior middle blocker Annie Moddrell Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25. The honor is the first of Moddrell's career.
The Freeburg, Ill., native helped the Hoosiers to a split in the first weekend of Big Ten play, including opening with an upset of No. 19 Michigan. The win over the Wolverines marked the first time since 2003 that Indiana has opened the conference slate with a victory. In the win over Michigan, Moddrell was part of an Indiana team that tallied 23 blocks, which marked the third-best total in program history. Her three solo blocks against the Wolverines were part of IU's 10 solo blocks that equaled the Hoosiers' five-game match record in school history. Along with sophomore Erica Short, who also had a trio, Moddrell's three solo blocks tied her with former Hoosier Rachel Gerling for first all-time in five-game matches.
In the closing match of the weekend, Moddrell had 10 kills, one solo block and five block assists against Michigan State. For the weekend, she totaled 18 blocks and posted 17 kills on .261 hitting.
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, 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. Short was also named to the All-Tournament team following the TIS Bookstore Invitational and last week's Marriott Flyer Invitational.
DID YOU KNOW?
With its five match winning streak to open the season, it marked only the fourth time in the Katie Weismiller era that the Hoosiers have captured their first five or more matches. The feat had previously been accomplished in 2000 (seven), 1999 (nine) and 1997 (15). All five of those victories were 3-0 sweeps, the first time that feat has occurred in Indiana volleyball history.
500 WINS
With its win over Oakland on Aug. 26, Indiana 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, 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.
SIXTH TIMES 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 among teams 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.
