Indiana University Athletics
Moving Up – Elite Recruiting, Attendance Spark IU Volleyball
5/18/2020 11:24:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Steve Aird and Indiana volleyball are just getting started.
You know that, right?
The Hoosiers' third-year volleyball coach has no intention of letting a best-ever No. 15-ranked recruiting class, or the nation's 15th-best attendance, define the program.
Consider it a launching pad for what's to come.
"When I took the job, I thought Indiana volleyball had a rightful place among the nation's elite," Aird says. "I just did. If we worked hard and got the support that (athletics director Fred Glass) and the department said they would provide, we would get to the point where we could recruit some of the nation's best and it would be fun."
So far so good.
"We're proud of it," Aird says of the recruiting and attendance rankings. "It's historic."
"The recruiting has to be a big deal for us because the Big Ten is so good. The attendance is a huge deal for us because it means we're relevant. People care about Indiana volleyball. They want to come. Top kids want to come. That's the biggest thing that has happened over the last 24 months."
Recruiting leads the way.
"We feel we're positioned well for the future," Aird says. "We've done a good job of building relationships. We have gotten some outstanding recruits who have verbally committed to us over the next couple of years, and we feel great about the group we have."
Why not?
IU has never had a top-15 class before, and while impressive, it comes with Big Ten perspective.
"There are programs in the Big Ten that have never NOT had a top-15 class in more than 40 years,"Aird says.
Some coaches would run from such a challenge. Aird embraces it, and he wants players who do the same.
"There's a huge difference between wanting to be here and wanting to impact it and win," he says. "We want kids who want to win. That's the next big step for the program."
This first step meant putting in heavy recruiting miles to land players who, in the past, never considered the Hoosiers.
Outside hitter Tommi Stockham, the top-rated member of the class at No. 32, is from Las Vegas. Then there are middle blockers Leyla Blackwell (California), Savannah Kjolhede (Texas) and Elle Hillers (Washington), outside hitters Grae Gosnell (South Carolina) and Morgan Geddes (Ohio), defensive specialist Britt Soudan (Illinois) and setter Olivia Panepinto (Indiana).
Five of the recruits are at least 6-2, with Blackwell the tallest at 6-4. All have elite skills necessary to compete with the likes of powerhouses Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State and more.
Blackwell and Kjolhede are Under Armour All-Americans. Stockham was a two-time Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year in Nevada and played on two high school state title teams.
"It's an exciting group of kids," Aird says.
Such excitement isn't a surprise. Aird had two top-16 classes while coaching at Maryland. He was part of multiple dominant classes as a Penn State assistant coach, including one ranked No. 1.
"This is as good as any class I've ever recruited," he says.
Figure even better classes are in the future, especially with state-of-the-art Wilkinson Hall now in the mix, and they will come with a heavy dose of in-state talent. Indiana annually produces as many elite players as any state in the country.
In the past, the Hoosiers rarely signed them (All-America Ashley Benson -- the daughter of former IU basketball standout Kent Benson -- was a rare exception a decade ago), but Aird and his staff (assistants Daniel Gwitt and Krista Vansant) are already changing that.
"We knew it was daunting," he says. "There hadn't been a lot of elite recruiting success in the past at Indiana. We decided we needed to get some stuff done.
"Our sport is a little different than football or hoops. We have to recruit really young. A lot of the top players in the country were recruited in the eighth and ninth grade.
"We've been here 24 months. We looked at the 2020 class as being our first full class and started to put a bunch of resources toward that. A lot of those kids were sophomores at the time."
Gosnell was one of them. Gwitt saw her at a national tournament, liked her potential (including her pre-match dancing ability), and quickly brought in Aird.
A visit to Bloomington soon followed; a commitment came shortly after that.
"The summer before, I went to a bunch of camps in Florida and all around the Southeast and East Coast," Gosnell says. "They were good camps and great coaches, but I just got a different feeling when I went to Indiana. It was beautiful. Wilkinson hadn't been built yet. I fell in love with it before any of the new stuff was there.
"It was such a good environment. There were not just good players with a lot of skill, but good people who knew right from wrong. That's why I chose Indiana."
Another factor was the chance to play in the Big Ten, the nation's best volleyball conference.
The league's dominance (nine national championships in the last 20 years) makes it tough to win -- IU was good enough to beat SEC co-champ Kentucky last season, yet went just 3-17 in the conference – and enticing to top players.
"We didn't have a great record last year," Aird says, "but we beat the SEC champion. We weren't a bad team. It was the nature of the conference.
"I want the kind of kid not afraid to play anyone any time anywhere. There's a difference between players who say they want to play at a Big Ten school versus kids who want to impact it. Sometimes people just want to wear the jersey. You've got to find kids who want to win."
This group does, Aird adds.
"They're excited to play. They're excited to be here. We know they'll take care of school because they care about it. Our staff values that as well."
Last season seven Big Ten teams received NCAA tourney bids, with Wisconsin and Minnesota reaching the Final Four. The conference has had at least one Final Four team for 17 straight seasons.
With the Big Ten showing no signs of slippage, IU has to raise its game. The Hoosiers, Aird says, are gearing up. Besides the newcomers, they return a core of outstanding players led by Briana Edwards, selected to the U.S. Collegiate National team after a season in which she set a school record for kills in a match (39 against Maryland).
"The schedule is daunting. We have so many elite programs nationally. As a coach, you want to be in the best conference. As a player, you want to compete against the best. You aren't hoping other people aren't good. You're worried about getting your program good. Make sure you're good enough to compete in the conference. You won't be able to duck anything once you start playing."
As far as attendance, the addition of $17 million Wilkinson Hall, located in IU's athletic complex that includes Assembly Hall, Memorial Stadium, Cook Hall, Bart Kaufman Field and Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, helps boost crowds as University Gym, which was a mile or so off campus, never could
Last season, the Hoosiers' first year in Wilkinson Hall, they averaged 1,809 fans a match, more than double the best years at University Gym.
"We have so much momentum," Aird says. "When I took the job two years ago, they were averaging 600 to 700 people. We've gone up like 130 percent in 24 months. I don't care what business or sport you're in, that's relevant.
"Wilkinson Arena and what that brought to the table helped. It being on campus was a big deal. Students have gotten behind it. That was the goal.
"We felt we could control the environment and recruiting and being able to tell our story."
That story, in so many ways, has just begun.
"We've got to stack these classes over time to develop depth and have real success," Aird says. "We're getting the ball rolling in the right direction."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Steve Aird and Indiana volleyball are just getting started.
You know that, right?
The Hoosiers' third-year volleyball coach has no intention of letting a best-ever No. 15-ranked recruiting class, or the nation's 15th-best attendance, define the program.
Consider it a launching pad for what's to come.
"When I took the job, I thought Indiana volleyball had a rightful place among the nation's elite," Aird says. "I just did. If we worked hard and got the support that (athletics director Fred Glass) and the department said they would provide, we would get to the point where we could recruit some of the nation's best and it would be fun."
So far so good.
"We're proud of it," Aird says of the recruiting and attendance rankings. "It's historic."
"The recruiting has to be a big deal for us because the Big Ten is so good. The attendance is a huge deal for us because it means we're relevant. People care about Indiana volleyball. They want to come. Top kids want to come. That's the biggest thing that has happened over the last 24 months."
Recruiting leads the way.
"We feel we're positioned well for the future," Aird says. "We've done a good job of building relationships. We have gotten some outstanding recruits who have verbally committed to us over the next couple of years, and we feel great about the group we have."
Why not?
IU has never had a top-15 class before, and while impressive, it comes with Big Ten perspective.
"There are programs in the Big Ten that have never NOT had a top-15 class in more than 40 years,"Aird says.
Some coaches would run from such a challenge. Aird embraces it, and he wants players who do the same.
"There's a huge difference between wanting to be here and wanting to impact it and win," he says. "We want kids who want to win. That's the next big step for the program."
This first step meant putting in heavy recruiting miles to land players who, in the past, never considered the Hoosiers.
??15th ranked recruiting class
— Indiana Volleyball (@IndianaVB) May 14, 2020
??15th nationally in attendance #IUVB trending ??
The New IU
??https://t.co/uOK218eX92 pic.twitter.com/r9solwZTzs
Outside hitter Tommi Stockham, the top-rated member of the class at No. 32, is from Las Vegas. Then there are middle blockers Leyla Blackwell (California), Savannah Kjolhede (Texas) and Elle Hillers (Washington), outside hitters Grae Gosnell (South Carolina) and Morgan Geddes (Ohio), defensive specialist Britt Soudan (Illinois) and setter Olivia Panepinto (Indiana).
Five of the recruits are at least 6-2, with Blackwell the tallest at 6-4. All have elite skills necessary to compete with the likes of powerhouses Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State and more.
Blackwell and Kjolhede are Under Armour All-Americans. Stockham was a two-time Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year in Nevada and played on two high school state title teams.
"It's an exciting group of kids," Aird says.
Such excitement isn't a surprise. Aird had two top-16 classes while coaching at Maryland. He was part of multiple dominant classes as a Penn State assistant coach, including one ranked No. 1.
"This is as good as any class I've ever recruited," he says.
Figure even better classes are in the future, especially with state-of-the-art Wilkinson Hall now in the mix, and they will come with a heavy dose of in-state talent. Indiana annually produces as many elite players as any state in the country.
In the past, the Hoosiers rarely signed them (All-America Ashley Benson -- the daughter of former IU basketball standout Kent Benson -- was a rare exception a decade ago), but Aird and his staff (assistants Daniel Gwitt and Krista Vansant) are already changing that.
"We knew it was daunting," he says. "There hadn't been a lot of elite recruiting success in the past at Indiana. We decided we needed to get some stuff done.
"Our sport is a little different than football or hoops. We have to recruit really young. A lot of the top players in the country were recruited in the eighth and ninth grade.
"We've been here 24 months. We looked at the 2020 class as being our first full class and started to put a bunch of resources toward that. A lot of those kids were sophomores at the time."
Gosnell was one of them. Gwitt saw her at a national tournament, liked her potential (including her pre-match dancing ability), and quickly brought in Aird.
A visit to Bloomington soon followed; a commitment came shortly after that.
"The summer before, I went to a bunch of camps in Florida and all around the Southeast and East Coast," Gosnell says. "They were good camps and great coaches, but I just got a different feeling when I went to Indiana. It was beautiful. Wilkinson hadn't been built yet. I fell in love with it before any of the new stuff was there.
"It was such a good environment. There were not just good players with a lot of skill, but good people who knew right from wrong. That's why I chose Indiana."
Another factor was the chance to play in the Big Ten, the nation's best volleyball conference.
The league's dominance (nine national championships in the last 20 years) makes it tough to win -- IU was good enough to beat SEC co-champ Kentucky last season, yet went just 3-17 in the conference – and enticing to top players.
"We didn't have a great record last year," Aird says, "but we beat the SEC champion. We weren't a bad team. It was the nature of the conference.
"I want the kind of kid not afraid to play anyone any time anywhere. There's a difference between players who say they want to play at a Big Ten school versus kids who want to impact it. Sometimes people just want to wear the jersey. You've got to find kids who want to win."
This group does, Aird adds.
"They're excited to play. They're excited to be here. We know they'll take care of school because they care about it. Our staff values that as well."
Last season seven Big Ten teams received NCAA tourney bids, with Wisconsin and Minnesota reaching the Final Four. The conference has had at least one Final Four team for 17 straight seasons.
With the Big Ten showing no signs of slippage, IU has to raise its game. The Hoosiers, Aird says, are gearing up. Besides the newcomers, they return a core of outstanding players led by Briana Edwards, selected to the U.S. Collegiate National team after a season in which she set a school record for kills in a match (39 against Maryland).
"The schedule is daunting. We have so many elite programs nationally. As a coach, you want to be in the best conference. As a player, you want to compete against the best. You aren't hoping other people aren't good. You're worried about getting your program good. Make sure you're good enough to compete in the conference. You won't be able to duck anything once you start playing."
As far as attendance, the addition of $17 million Wilkinson Hall, located in IU's athletic complex that includes Assembly Hall, Memorial Stadium, Cook Hall, Bart Kaufman Field and Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, helps boost crowds as University Gym, which was a mile or so off campus, never could
??15th in the NCAA in total attendance.
— Indiana Volleyball (@IndianaVB) December 10, 2019
??Program record for average attendance.
??https://t.co/gAxOOa5gn3
Thank you Hoosier Nation! pic.twitter.com/wJYhNKrRPE
Last season, the Hoosiers' first year in Wilkinson Hall, they averaged 1,809 fans a match, more than double the best years at University Gym.
"We have so much momentum," Aird says. "When I took the job two years ago, they were averaging 600 to 700 people. We've gone up like 130 percent in 24 months. I don't care what business or sport you're in, that's relevant.
"Wilkinson Arena and what that brought to the table helped. It being on campus was a big deal. Students have gotten behind it. That was the goal.
"We felt we could control the environment and recruiting and being able to tell our story."
That story, in so many ways, has just begun.
"We've got to stack these classes over time to develop depth and have real success," Aird says. "We're getting the ball rolling in the right direction."
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