Volleyball Opens Weekend With a

Friday, September 7

Valparaiso, Ind.

11:00 AM

Indiana University

Marshall

9/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Sept. 7, 2007

Final Stats

VALPARAISO, Ind. - The Indiana University volleyball team improved to 5-2 on the year with a 3-1 victory over Marshall Friday afternoon. An impressive .359 hitting efficiency in game four by the Hoosiers capped of the win in the first of three matches scheduled for the weekend.

The Thundering Herd could do little to stop Junior Erica Short and her eight kills in game one. Marshall managed to hit .366 in the game, but IU Freshman Mara Hilgenberg led the Hoosier offense over the top in the offensive shoot-out, collecting 16 game-one assists. The Hoosiers were down by four points at 21-25, but then began to make a run. Trailing 25-27, Short put away two straight balls and forced Marshall to burn a timeout at 27-27. After the next two points were split, another kill by Short combined with two Marshall errors gave Indiana a hard-fought 30-28 game one winner.

Indiana kept it coming to begin game two, jumping ahead 9-4. IU held the lead for the remainder of the game despite several runs by the Herd to close the gap. Freshman Taylor Wittmer supplied the Cream and Crimson with a big kill late in the contest that halted Marshall's last run.

Unfortunately, Indiana's offense sputtered a bit in the next game, eventually dropping game four 22-30 while hitting just .103. A total of 15 errors (10 attack, three service, two blocking) doomed the Hoosiers in game three. However, they made the necessary adjustments in a big way in game four, hitting at a blistering .359 pace. Wittmer was unstoppable, hitting .700 with seven kills and no errors on ten attacks. In fitting fashion, the was match ended on a kill by Wittmer, her 13th termination of the day.

The Hoosiers get little rest after the triumph as they return to action Friday night for a 7 p.m. (central time) showdown with the host school, Valparaiso University. The Crusaders come off a 3-1 win over Marshall as well, defeating the Herd Thursday in the tournament opener.