Hoosiers Open Big Ten Play at No. 7 Minnesota, No. 13 Wisconsin

Friday, September 27

Minneapolis, Minn.

8:00 PM

Indiana University

#7 Minnesota

BLOOMINGTON, IN - SEPTEMBER 06, 2019 - Indiana Hoosiers Volleyball Team during the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Indiana Hoosiers at the Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington, IN. Photo By Missy Minear/Indiana Athletics

Hoosiers Open Big Ten Play at No. 7 Minnesota, No. 13 Wisconsin

9/25/2019 9:55:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Match Notes

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana volleyball team opens their Big Ten schedule with a road trip to Minneapolis, Minn., and Madison, Wis., this week.

The Schedule

Friday September 27
Indiana at No. 7 Minnesota
8:00 PM ET | Minneapolis, Minn.
Radio: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/indiana/
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2p5Uhvo
Video ($): https://bit.ly/2mGdNRy

Sunday September 29
Indiana at No. 13 Wisconsin
2:00 PM ET | Madison, Wis.
Radio: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/indiana/
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2PrhraN
Video ($): https://bit.ly/2lGR0oh

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. Indiana has won their last seven matches. Senior Deyshia Lofton ranks fourth in the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.454) and 11^th in the conference in blocks at 1.16/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.

In the Polls
The Hoosiers received nine votes in the latest AVCA top-25 poll. The last time an Indiana volleyball team has been ranked in the top-25 was the 2010 season.

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.

Back at Home
Following this road trip, the Hoosiers are back at home as they host Illinois in their Big Ten home opener on Oct. 4 and Northwestern on Oct. 5. The following Wednesday, Oct. 9 Indiana will host Purdue.

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.