Indiana University Athletics
Big Ten Volleyball Season Has Arrived
9/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 19, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University volleyball team begins the Big Ten schedule this weekend after posting a 9-3 mark in their non-conference slate. First up, are the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. The Hoosiers have won all four of their Friday matches thus far in 2007. Indiana will then play what was supposed to be their only Sunday match of the season (the Western Kentucky match was postponed to a Sunday due to massive flooding in DeKalb, Ill.) versus the Golden Gophers of Mineesota at 2 p.m. ET. Live stats will be available for the Iowa match via CSTV's GameTracker, which can accessed on the IU volleyball schedule page at IUHoosiers.com.
Complete Iowa/Minnesota Weekly Notes in PDF Format
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LAST TIME OUT
The Hoosiers played at home for the first time of the 2007 season from Sept. 14-15, hosting the Indiana University adidas Classic inside Assembly Hall. IU began the weekend slate with a 3-0 sweep over East Tennessee State on Friday. The Cream and Crimson followed that match wth a .426 hitting percentage performance against North Carolina Central, picking up their second 3-0 sweep of the touranment. It marked the fourth time in as many preseason invitationals that the Hoosiers won the first two matches of the tournament. Next up, was the championship match against #23/22 St. Johns, Indiana's first nationally-ranked opponent of the season. The Hoosiers went toe-to-toe with the Red Storm, leading game two by as many as seven points, before eventually dropping the close match by a total margin of just 13 points (27-30, 26-30, 24-30).
BALANCED ATTACK
Seven different Hoosiers, all six starters plus the libero, have been named to an all-tournament team this season. Freshman Ashley Benson is a two-time all-tournament squad member as she was recognized as such at both the University of Tennessee Comcast Classic and the IU adidas Classic.
bloomington galore
Freshman Ashley Benson is a native of Bloomington, Indiana, but she will not be the only "Bloomington-nite" in action on Sunday. Minnesota has a pair of players from "other " Bloomingtons as Brooke Dieter is from Bloomington, MInnesota and Katie Vatterodt hales from Bloomington, Illinois. Not to mention, the Mall of America, an expected stop for the Hoosiers while up north, is located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Dieter was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season on Sept. 17th after being named the MVP of the Gopher Invitational. She recorded 20 or more kills in three straight matches while hitting .358 and averaging 6.1 kills per game.
BIG TEN RANKINGS
Indiana's 82 service aces are second to none in the Big Ten Conference and their 1.91 aces per game average ranks as the fourth best in the conference. Seniors Juli Pierce leads the way at the service line, responsible for 23 aces thus far, the second most in the Big Ten. Other Hoosiers present in the Big Ten statistical rankings are Erica Short's 4.74 kills/game (3rd), Mara Hilgenberg's 12.79 assists (4th) and Pierce's 4.00 digs (8th).
DITTEON DITTEON
Senior Lauren Ditteon has recorded four double-doubles thus far and the Hoosiers have won all four contests in which she has done so. The Terre Haute, Indiana native has also twice come just two blocks shy off pulling off a triple-double.
DIGGING IT
Senior Juli Pierce has averaged 4.65 digs per game over the last six matches. She has put together a double-digit dig performance in each of those six matches, dating back to a 3-1 win over Marshall on Sept. 7.
SHORT'S SHOT SELECTION
Junior Erica Short has had little problem racking up kills, recording 10 or more put-aways in every match but one. However, the key has been shot selection and hitting efficiency. When Short hits over .200, the Hoosiers are a perfect 6-0 on the season.
CRACKING THE TOP TEN
Several Hoosiers are likely to crack the top ten in various all-time career statistical categories this season. Senior Annie Moddrell's 241 career block assists have already broken into the top ten as the ninth highest total in IU history. She also needs only two more total blocks and 13 block solos to further establish her name in the Hoosier top ten record books. Most impressive, however, is her .266 career hitting efficiency which is currently the fourth-best percentage all-time.
Juli Pierce (15 digs shy) is also closing in on the career ranking lists. Junior Erica Short's impressive 1,060 kills in just over two years donning the Cream and Crimson puts her on pace to easily break into the top ten this season and eventually rank as high as #2 all-time in career kills before the end of her senior season.
STIFF COMPETITION
A pair of highly-respected national polls released this week are both filled with teams slated on Indiana's 2007 schedule. Six different IU opponents are ranked in the Top 25 of both the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll and RichKern.com Poll. Those teams include Penn State (#3/3), Wisconsin (#9/9), Michigan (#10/13), Minnesota (#12/11), St. John's (#21/21) and Ohio State (#23/22). Complete poll results can be found on pg. 4.
LEADER OF THE PACK
Senior Lauren Ditteon is being looked upton to lead the young Hoosier squad this season with her team-high 106 career matches worth of experience. Ditteon's vast playing experience is evidenced by her ranking either first or second in nearly every career statistical category among active players. The Terre Haute, Indiana native has racked up 871 kills, 117 assists, 77 service aces, 585 digs and 204 total blocks over the past three+ years.
THE BIG TEN NETWORK
In June 2006, the Big Ten announced the creation of the Big Ten Network, a national network devoted to the Big Ten athletic and academic programs. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, with most programs offered in high-definition television (HDTV), the network allows fans to see Big Ten action across the country.
Hoosier volleyball is slated to have two contests broadcasted nationally on the Big Ten Network with the possibility of having additional matches added to the schedule in the future. Fans interested in the AT&T Crimson and Gold Cup standings will be able to catch all the Indiana vs. Purdue volleyball action this season as both contests between the state rivals will be shown LIVE on the Big Ten Network. First up, is a home match versus the Boilermakers on Oct. 17 with a road contest in West Lafayette later in the year on Nov. 14. Both matches are scheduled for 8 p.m. start times.
Players Mentioned
