Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Hopeful to Bring Home the Spike
10/7/2015 10:53:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Will DeWitt | IUHoosiers.com
Coming off of back-to-back wins against Maryland and Rutgers, the Indiana volleyball team is building confidence.
This assurance could not come at a more opportune time as the Hoosiers face Purdue not once, but twice this week. The Hoosiers have not beaten Purdue since the 2012 season, but that fact has not deterred the focus of the team.
Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan's team has worked hard this week in practice and the head coach believes the team is up for the challenge.
When facing an opponent such as Purdue, Dunbar-Kruzan said she appreciates the rivalry that comes along with it, but at the same time understands that once the match starts, the rivalry gets pushed aside and the teams just play the game.
"Once the whistle blows, it's just a match," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "But leading up to match is the fun of it. The fans will come out to watch and it will be a great environment."
Effort has been a point of emphasis throughout the week. In order to win, the team needs to play aggressively with high energy. In order to do so, coach wants to see her team go into the match with an underdog mentality.
She believes that by playing with this mind set her players will put extra effort into their play, while performing with a stronger attack mentality.
Allison Hammond, a junior outside hitter, embraces this underdog mindset.
"Being underdogs gets us pumped," she said. "It's a huge rivalry, but we need to play our game, play fast and play together. As long as we do that, we will be in good shape."
Purdue comes into the week ranked No. 19 in the country. Getting a victory or two against a tough opponent this week would mean that the team is taking a step forward and are doing the things that are emphasized in practice.
According to Dunbar-Kruzan, any win is a good win right now and any win in the Big Ten is a great win. However, she knows that games against Purdue mean more.
"Beating Purdue would be a great plus," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "It's our rival, beating them would get us another step closer to our goals."
In terms of age, this team is more mature compared to recent years. Having been here before, they know what to expect when it comes to facing Purdue and they believe having this experience will work in their favor.
This maturity will be essential to Indiana's hopes of capturing the Monon Spike on Wednesday.
The Monon Spike is the traveling trophy, which is awarded to the victor of one of the two annual matches. The Spike match alternates locations each season, with this year's match being in Bloomington.
The Spike currently has 29 "P" links and 12 "I" links and Indiana is hopeful they can add a 13th "I" to the trophy.
Bringing home the Spike would be huge for the seniors.
"We've had our ups and downs throughout their career," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "For them to leave the Spike for the next group would be big for the seniors to do for the underclassmen."
As a junior, Hammond has never had the privilege of having the Spike and is yearning for the chance to win it.
"It would be nice to bring it back here and to be able to see it in the locker room everyday," Hammond said.
The first game of Rivalry Week is at University Gym in Bloomington on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Then, the Hosiers head to Purdue on Saturday to play at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Coming off of back-to-back wins against Maryland and Rutgers, the Indiana volleyball team is building confidence.
This assurance could not come at a more opportune time as the Hoosiers face Purdue not once, but twice this week. The Hoosiers have not beaten Purdue since the 2012 season, but that fact has not deterred the focus of the team.
Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan's team has worked hard this week in practice and the head coach believes the team is up for the challenge.
When facing an opponent such as Purdue, Dunbar-Kruzan said she appreciates the rivalry that comes along with it, but at the same time understands that once the match starts, the rivalry gets pushed aside and the teams just play the game.
"Once the whistle blows, it's just a match," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "But leading up to match is the fun of it. The fans will come out to watch and it will be a great environment."
Effort has been a point of emphasis throughout the week. In order to win, the team needs to play aggressively with high energy. In order to do so, coach wants to see her team go into the match with an underdog mentality.
She believes that by playing with this mind set her players will put extra effort into their play, while performing with a stronger attack mentality.
Allison Hammond, a junior outside hitter, embraces this underdog mindset.
"Being underdogs gets us pumped," she said. "It's a huge rivalry, but we need to play our game, play fast and play together. As long as we do that, we will be in good shape."
Purdue comes into the week ranked No. 19 in the country. Getting a victory or two against a tough opponent this week would mean that the team is taking a step forward and are doing the things that are emphasized in practice.
According to Dunbar-Kruzan, any win is a good win right now and any win in the Big Ten is a great win. However, she knows that games against Purdue mean more.
"Beating Purdue would be a great plus," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "It's our rival, beating them would get us another step closer to our goals."
In terms of age, this team is more mature compared to recent years. Having been here before, they know what to expect when it comes to facing Purdue and they believe having this experience will work in their favor.
This maturity will be essential to Indiana's hopes of capturing the Monon Spike on Wednesday.
The Monon Spike is the traveling trophy, which is awarded to the victor of one of the two annual matches. The Spike match alternates locations each season, with this year's match being in Bloomington.
The Spike currently has 29 "P" links and 12 "I" links and Indiana is hopeful they can add a 13th "I" to the trophy.
Bringing home the Spike would be huge for the seniors.
"We've had our ups and downs throughout their career," Dunbar-Kruzan said. "For them to leave the Spike for the next group would be big for the seniors to do for the underclassmen."
As a junior, Hammond has never had the privilege of having the Spike and is yearning for the chance to win it.
"It would be nice to bring it back here and to be able to see it in the locker room everyday," Hammond said.
The first game of Rivalry Week is at University Gym in Bloomington on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Then, the Hosiers head to Purdue on Saturday to play at 8:00 p.m. ET.
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