Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Ohio
IU Volleyball Snags Big-Time Road Victory at Ohio
9/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 11, 2009
ATHENS, Ohio - The Indiana University volleyball team (7-2) won their fourth consecutive match Friday night and it was a big one, defeating the Ohio Bobcats (6-2), 25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12. Ohio is the defending Mid-American Conference Champions and were ranked No. 39 in the country heading into the weekend.
"We (the coaching staff) could see a difference tonight in warm-ups," said Head Coach Sherry Dunbar. "We could see it in their (the players) eyes. It was just a different atmosphere in there tonight."
It was a complete team effort for IU inside the Convocation Center Friday night with six different Hoosiers recording five or more kills and an IU trio each posting double-digit digs. Nearly everyone chipped in on the defensive front court with five Hoosiers picking up at least four blocks.
A big key to the Hoosier success was their ability to limit Ohio's Ellen Herman, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, to a .212 hitting efficiency.
The Hoosiers came fast out of the gates, hitting at a .355 clip in the first set. Setter Mary Chaudoin went on the aggressive in the opener, tagging three kills. Freshman Kelci Marschall was on fire early as well with each of her four swings resulting in kills. Indiana jumped ahead one-set-to-none with a 25-17 victory as they pulled away late.
Indiana's offensive attack hit a wall in the second stanza as their hitting percentage dipped to .026 in a 22-25 loss to even the sets at one apiece.
Jordan Haverly blew up in set number three when she converted eight swings into seven kills for a .875 hitting percentage. The team combined for a .414 attack efficiency, guided by Chaudoin and her 12 assists. Indiana snagged a lead early and never looked back in the 25-20 win.
It was déjà vu for the Cream and Crimson in the fourth set as they saw an early lead dwindle away and the Bobcats even up the sets once again. Whitney Thomas was able to find her groove in the frame, however, recorded four kills and setting herself up for a prime fifth set.
Effective serving for Indiana and poor serving from the Bobcats early in the fifth played a large role in the Hoosiers owning an 8-7 advantage when the squads switched sides of the court. Following the short break in action, Ohio nabbed the next three points to jump ahead 10-8 and force an IU timeout. Indiana immediately responded with a three-point run of their own that also forced a timeout from the opposition. Moments later, the Hoosiers extended their lead to 13-11 when OU's Herman was stuffed by Benson and Haverly, causing Ohio Head Coach Ryan Theis to burn his final timeout. Clutch plays by Kelsey Hall and Thomas in the waning minutes clinched the victory for IU, 15-12.
"Kelsey Hall ... that kid is really the heart and soul of our team. She's injured all the time, but she doesn't care. She wants to be on the court at all times. We have complete confidence to set her on match point and she delivers. She just wants to win, and that's what Indiana is all about."
"I was really proud of Jordan Haverly. In the beginning she was doing good, but not taking big rips. And then when we needed it in the late sets, she just went up and ripped balls. That made a big difference for us."
The Hoosiers are back at it early Saturday morning with a 10 a.m. against Eastern Kentucky, just 12 hours after Friday night's match ended. Indiana is also scheduled to take the court for a fourth time this weekend, facing Missouri State at 7 p.m. to wrap up the Hampton Inn Invitational.
