Indiana University Athletics
IU Inching Closer To Ultimate Goals
3/29/2016 11:24:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com
Editor's note: This story is the third installment of a three-part series exploring Indiana volleyball's mission to "earn their stripes." Click on links for part 1 and 2 to read those stories.
The Hoosiers earned their stripes last year. They're earning them now. They're going to be asked to earn them again next fall.
Indiana volleyball's "earn your stripes" mantra is a continuous process, a moving target. There's tangible steps along the way—winning, making the NCAA Tournament and representing the program the right way, among others—but there's nothing finite about it.
That's exactly the point.
"This is something we do and we'll continue to do every day," head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. "Our players, they're always going to have this. They'll always be able to learn from it. It's not going away."
The process isn't meant to be an unobtainable goal, but rather a set of rolling expectations. Once one bar is reached, another gets set. It'll continue to be raised again and again as high as the program can take it. Sometimes it might even need to be lowered only to see if it can be raised again.
"I think it's good for the players to have something they can measure themselves against," assistant coach Paul Koncir said. "The things we do can be difficult. There's going to be days that are hard. But there's still that constant idea there for them to use."
Indiana hasn't had to reset much this spring. The Hoosiers' most prominent goal is reaching the NCAA Tournament, which the seniors say is a possibility given the recent trajectory of the program.
IU won double-digit Big Ten games for just the sixth time in the last 25 years one season ago. It also marked the fourth time in the last 20 years the program won six or more Big Ten matches in back-to-back seasons.
When the season came to an end, Indiana was an even 16-16 overall. It was the first time since 2010 that the Hoosiers were .500 or better on the year.
"I think you can definitely say we're building something," said senior Allison Hammond. "I think once you get a taste of that success, you want more. And coming up short of the NCAA Tournament last year only motivates us more in the spring."
Gaining traction in the Big Ten is no easy task. Dunbar-Kruzan is firm in saying it's the best volleyball conference in the nation, and she's not alone. She goes as far as saying it's the most competitive conference of any sport Indiana plays in, making each weekend a challenge.
The Hoosiers know that. The conference's competitiveness part of the initial draw to Bloomington in the first place.
The consensus across the senior class is that the Hoosiers are climbing. The experience across the roster, the incoming freshman class and the energy they've seen at workouts are all the tangible things they can point out in backing up their claim.
"Everyone has really bought in," senior Megan Tallman said. "I think everyone is excited to be where we are and to be working together. It's just carried over from last year."
As the wins come, so will Indiana's stripes.
It's unlikely an IU volleyball player is ever wearing candy-striped pants in the near future. But if there ever comes a point where the players run out onto the floor wearing the iconic Indiana look, at least one thing is assured:
They'll have earned them.
Editor's note: This story is the third installment of a three-part series exploring Indiana volleyball's mission to "earn their stripes." Click on links for part 1 and 2 to read those stories.
The Hoosiers earned their stripes last year. They're earning them now. They're going to be asked to earn them again next fall.
Indiana volleyball's "earn your stripes" mantra is a continuous process, a moving target. There's tangible steps along the way—winning, making the NCAA Tournament and representing the program the right way, among others—but there's nothing finite about it.
That's exactly the point.
"This is something we do and we'll continue to do every day," head coach Sherry Dunbar-Kruzan said. "Our players, they're always going to have this. They'll always be able to learn from it. It's not going away."
The process isn't meant to be an unobtainable goal, but rather a set of rolling expectations. Once one bar is reached, another gets set. It'll continue to be raised again and again as high as the program can take it. Sometimes it might even need to be lowered only to see if it can be raised again.
"I think it's good for the players to have something they can measure themselves against," assistant coach Paul Koncir said. "The things we do can be difficult. There's going to be days that are hard. But there's still that constant idea there for them to use."
Indiana hasn't had to reset much this spring. The Hoosiers' most prominent goal is reaching the NCAA Tournament, which the seniors say is a possibility given the recent trajectory of the program.
IU won double-digit Big Ten games for just the sixth time in the last 25 years one season ago. It also marked the fourth time in the last 20 years the program won six or more Big Ten matches in back-to-back seasons.
When the season came to an end, Indiana was an even 16-16 overall. It was the first time since 2010 that the Hoosiers were .500 or better on the year.
"I think you can definitely say we're building something," said senior Allison Hammond. "I think once you get a taste of that success, you want more. And coming up short of the NCAA Tournament last year only motivates us more in the spring."
Gaining traction in the Big Ten is no easy task. Dunbar-Kruzan is firm in saying it's the best volleyball conference in the nation, and she's not alone. She goes as far as saying it's the most competitive conference of any sport Indiana plays in, making each weekend a challenge.
The Hoosiers know that. The conference's competitiveness part of the initial draw to Bloomington in the first place.
The consensus across the senior class is that the Hoosiers are climbing. The experience across the roster, the incoming freshman class and the energy they've seen at workouts are all the tangible things they can point out in backing up their claim.
"Everyone has really bought in," senior Megan Tallman said. "I think everyone is excited to be where we are and to be working together. It's just carried over from last year."
As the wins come, so will Indiana's stripes.
It's unlikely an IU volleyball player is ever wearing candy-striped pants in the near future. But if there ever comes a point where the players run out onto the floor wearing the iconic Indiana look, at least one thing is assured:
They'll have earned them.
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