Friday, October 4
Bloomington, Ind.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
#18 Illinois
Volleyball Big Ten Home Opener on Deck
10/2/2019 6:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana volleyball team will welcome Big Ten foes to Wilkinson Hall for the first time this week as they host No. 18 Illinois on Friday and Northwestern on Saturday.
The Schedule
Friday October 4
Indiana vs. No. 18 Illinois
7:00 PM ET | Bloomington, Ind.
Live Stats: http://hoosierstats.com
Video ($): https://bit.ly/2oui1fZ
Saturday October 5
Indiana vs. Northwestern
7:00 PM ET | Bloomington, Ind.
Live Stats: http://hoosierstats.com
Video ($): https://bit.ly/2njzpnv
Both matches at Wilkinson Hall (Corner of E 17th Street and N Fee Lane)
Hoosier Hysteria
Any fan who brings their admission ticket from Hoosier Hysteria to the Wilkinson Hall Ticket Window on Saturday will receive a $4 ticket to the match.
Promotions for the Weekend
Friday
Script Indiana Button Giveaway
Freebie Friday: All IU students who check in on the Crimson Guard App during the match will be entered into a drawing for a Nintendo Switch.
Student T-Shirt: Kilroys is providing a student shirt. Students can pick up vouchers for shirts starting at 5:30 pm at the student tailgate.
Pregame Tailgate: A tailgate with food, a live DJ and games at 5:30 p.m.
IU Knothole Kids Club Night: All members of the Knothole Kids Club will receive a free ticket to the game by showing either the Kids Club Credential or their membership e-mail conformation at the Wilkinson Hall Ticket Window.
National Anthem by Tim Noble
Saturday
Dig Pink Night: As part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, all fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match. Any fan who is wearing pink can receive a $4 ticket to the match.
Hoosier Hysteria Ticket Discount: Any fan who brings their admission ticket from Hoosier Hysteria to the Wilkinson Hall Ticket Window will receive a $4 ticket to the match.
Pink Indiana Shirt and Pink Ribbon Giveaway
Pregame Tailgate: A tailgate with food, a live DJ and games at 5:30 p.m.
Redsteppers: During intermission there will be a performance by the IU Redsteppers Dance team and their youth clinic participants.
Post-match autographs
National Anthem by Tim Noble
Hoosiers In Non-Conference
The Hoosiers finished the non-conference part of their schedule with an 11-2 record, including a win over then No. 15 Kentucky. Senior Deyshia Lofton ranks third in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.430) and 13th in the conference in blocks at 1.09/set.
The Win over Kentucky
The win over Kentucky was a significant win for the program. It was the Hoosiers first victory over Kentucky since 1996. It was also the first win for Indiana over a non-conference ranked opponent since 1998. The last Hoosier win on the road over a ranked opponent was 2013 at Michigan State.
The 2019 Hoosiers
The Indiana volleyball team opens the 2019 season under second year head coach Steve Aird. In 2018, Aird took a team that had finished 1-19 in the Big Ten in 2017 to 7-13 in the conference, with a season sweep of Ohio State and win against No. 14 Michigan. The 2019 squad returns nine players, has nine new players and seven seniors.
Wilkinson Hall
Wilkinson Hall was dedicated on January 16, 2019. Wilkinson Hall is a multi-use training and performance center that is the new home venue for the Indiana Volleyball and Wrestling programs. The 3,000-seat venue is used as a competition facility for both Indiana Volleyball and Indiana Wrestling, as well as the practice facility for volleyball. Wilkinson Hall is named after IU alumnus Jay Wilkinson and his family, who have an incredible history of support for IU Athletics and its student-athletes.
Road Trip to Purdue
Reserve your spot for a ride to West Lafayette to cheer on the Indiana Women's Volleyball team when the Hoosiers battle Purdue on Wednesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. ET. For just $15, fans can reserve a seat on the IU fan bus, receive a ticket to the game and dinner during the ride up north for a matchup with the Boilermakers. Once signed up, final trip confirmation and itinerary will be emailed to all customers during the week of the match. Click here to reserve your spot.
Returning Hoosiers
The Hoosiers return 2018 All-Big Ten Deyshia Lofton, who will be a senior this year. Lofton recorded 281 kills and hit .336 on the season. Lofton is 11 blocks from cracking the top 10 in program history for career blocks. Breana Edwards returns after a freshman season in which she led the team in kills with 360. Edwards traveled to Japan this summer with the Big Ten foreign tour team. Bayli Lebo will be a junior this season. In 2018 Lebo set the Indiana single season digs record with 525 for the season. Hayden Huybers hit .334 in Big Ten matches last season, the fourth best in school history. Kendall Beerman returns after she saw her 2018 cut short due to injury.
The New Hoosiers
There are nine new Hoosiers that were not on the 2018 roster, including five transfers and four freshmen. Emily Fitzner, First Team Under Armour All-American will be a freshman setter. Fitzner is the sister of former IU basketball player Evan Fitzner. Megan Sloan returns home to Indiana after three seasons in Louisville. Sloan is the daughter of Brian Sloan, a member of the 1987 IU men's basketball national championship team. Haley Armstrong, member of the Canadian Junior National Team, will be a freshman defensive specialist for the Hoosiers. Jacqui Armer transferred to Indiana after three seasons at LSU.
Players Mentioned
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
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