Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Northwestern
Hoosiers Win Wild Five-Setter at Northwestern
10/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Indiana University volleyball team earned a five-set victory at Northwestern Friday night, topping the Wildcats by scores of 23-25, 25-23, 27-29, 25-18 and 15-10. It was a "topsy-turvy" contest all night long as both squads strung together several runs of five or more points in the roller-coaster road win for Indiana.
Ashley Benson led the way, stuffing the stat sheet with a career-high 23 kills to go along with nine blocks (one solo), eight digs and an assist. Benson was not only effective, but also efficient with a .455 (23-3-44) hitting percentage.
"Ashley really got back on track tonight," said Head Coach Sherry Dunbar. "She was unstoppable at times tonight. The setters did a good job of getting her the ball."
Caitlin Cox tallied a team-high 22 digs while Kelsey Hall and Juli Pierce chipped in 12 and 11 digs, respectively. Hayley Koetter and Mary Chaudoin shared the setting duties once again for the Cream and Crimson, combining for 63 assists in the match.
"Our passing and defense were made a huge difference in the match," said Dunbar. "Our ball control was great."
As a team, the Hoosiers out-killed Northwestern 72 to 59 and dug 74 balls compared to just 65 for the Wildcats. Indiana was also tough from the service line with six aces, including three from the right arm of Cox.
The first of many large runs came at the 12-11 mark of the first set with Indiana trailing by the lone point. The Hoosiers snagged the next five points to gain a 16-12. The next big run went in favor of the Wildcats, however, as Northwestern rattled off five straight of their own late in the set to go ahead 23-22 in what eventually ended as a 25-23 win for the home team.
Northwestern's momentum carried over into the second set as they doubled up the Hoosiers, 14-7, early on. Indiana immediately eliminated the deficit, ripping off seven consecutive points. The pendulum then swung back in favor of the Wildcats as they took seven of the next nine to move ahead 21-16. Take a guess what happened next ... Indiana retaliated with a big rally of their own, of course. Hall started the surge with a pair of kills before Benson took over not only the set, but also the match. Benson notched three kills and two blocks down the stretch as Indiana came out on top, 25-23.
The third set began much the same as the second stanza with Northwestern getting up 13-7 before the Hoosiers bounced right back to tie the score at 18-all. Benson continued to raise her level of play, recording six kills on twelve swings with no errors in the frame. In the end, it was not enough though as Northwestern snuck by 29-27. Indiana was feisty throughout the set, staving off four different set-points.
By the time the fourth set began everyone in the gym knew the ball was going to Benson on the Hoosier side of the net, but it didn't matter as the Bloomington, Ind., native continued to capitalize on precise sets by Chaudoin and Koetter. For the set, Benson hit .727 (8-0-11). She contributed defensively as well with three rejections. Indiana got up early and cruised the rest of the way to a 25-18 triumph to force a fifth and decisive set.
The final set began with the first 12 points alternating back and forth and resulting in a 6-6 stalemate. Northwestern was the first side to acquire back-to-back points when they took a 7-6 edge. Indiana countered by grabbing the next two for the 8-7 advantage when the teams switched ends of the court. The Hoosiers had one last big run in them, taking a 14-9 lead thanks to another five-point run. In fitting fashion, Benson ended the match with her 23rd kill of the night, handing Indiana a 15-10 fifth-set winner.
"I thought we really took control in the fifth set, going ahead three or four points," said Dunbar. "That gave us some confidence. To win in five with a day off tomorrow, it's going to make that day a lot more fun."
The Cream and Crimson are back at it again Sunday afternoon at Wisconsin. That contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. EST. A live audio broadcast will be available right here at IUHoosiers.com.
Players Mentioned
