Hoosiers Begin Weekend With a Sweep

Friday, August 31

Knoxville, Tenn.

12:00 PM

Indiana University

Belmont

8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

The Indiana University volleyball team improved to 3-1 on the year with a 3-0 (30-26, 30-21, 39-37) sweep over Belmont Friday afternoon. It was the first of three scheduled matches for IU over the weekend at the University of Tennessee Comcast Classic. The Hoosiers will play Jacksonville State on Saturday at approximately 12 p.m. and will the take on the Lady Vols later in the evening at 7 p.m.

Junior Erica Short led the Hoosiers with 19 kills and eight digs. Freshman Ashley Benson stepped up big in her second weekend of collegiate action, totaling 10 kills and five blocks.

Despite jumping out to a 4-0 lead, the Hoosiers found themselves trailing at the 13-14 point of game one. That was the turning point, however, when Freshman Taylor Wittmer's kill started a run in which IU took nine of the next eleven points for a 22-16 edge. Belmont's Emily Cahill did everything in her power to keep the Bruins in the game with eight kills in the opener, but Indiana's offense proved to be too powerful in the 30-26 Hoosier win. The Cream and Crimson hit .324 with only two attack errors.

The second stanza began the exact opposite of game one as Belmont took a 4-0 advantage, but the final score finished in favor of the Hoosiers once again. Defense was the key in IU's 30-21 win. Indiana shutdown Belmont's Cahill to a lone kill in the second game while forcing the Bruins to hit -.107 as a team.

Indiana fell behind early in game three and trailed by as many as five points late in the match at 20-25. The Hoosiers then clawed their way back into the game, relying heavily on exceptional play by Benson down the stretch. A big solo block by the Bloomington North High School product brought the momentum over to the Hoosier side of the net and forced Belmont to burn a timeout at 26-28.

Unfortunately, an attack error by Short following the timeout gave the Bruins three chances at a game point with a 29-26 lead. Short redeemed herself immediately, however, connecting on three straight kills to tie the match at 29-29. Neither team could capitalize on several game-point opportunities thereafter, causing a 37-37 stalemate. The freshmen tandem of Mara Hilgenberg to Benson connected twice in a row at that point to seal the 39-37 win and the match.

The Hoosiers play Jacksonville State at noon on Saturday before taking on the Lady Vols that evening at 7 PM.