Hoosiers Open Conference Play at No. 9 Penn State, Maryland

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Big Ten Volleyball is officially here.

After a 12-game non-conference schedule for the Hoosiers, Steve Aird's 7-5 Indiana Volleyball team will jump into conference play this weekend with trips to No. 9 Penn State and Maryland.

The Big Ten, easily the nation's most grueling volleyball conference, will spare no mercy once again during the 2022 season. There are five teams ranked within the Top-10 including Penn State, the conference's lone unbeaten squad.

Friday will take the Hoosiers to Happy Valley before Sunday's game in College Park against Maryland. Both matches are set to be streamed on BTN+.

"We're all excited for the opportunity to compete," Aird said. "20 matches in the Big Ten and you get the opportunity to test yourself against the nation's best. All things considered, I thought we had a pretty solid preseason. We kept getting better every week."

Breaking Down the Hoosiers

The Hoosiers enter the weekend following a productive offensive weekend at the WKU Invitational that saw them go 2-1 with wins over Texas A&M and Tennessee Tech.

Mady Saris was once again at her finest, providing 43 kills across three matches over the weekend including 14 on a .407 clip against Tennessee Tech.

IU hit a collective .438 as a team in the straight-sets win over Tennessee Tech, the 9th-best team hitting percentage in a single game in program history.

Paula Cerame continues to be a calming presence in the back row as IU's libero. She's played every set this season and has 149 digs to her record.

She enters the weekend with 917 digs in her career between Florida and IU, inching her closer to 1,000 for her collegiate career.

Camryn Haworth inches towards the first milestone of her career as well. She's sitting on 897 assists entering the weekend.

The Fishers, Ind. native had 108 in three matches last weekend and owns a season's best of 50 in a four-set win over Western Carolina on Sept. 8.

Morgan Geddes played out of the middle in the final two games last weekend but still provided 36 kills and three blocks on the weekend.

Savannah Kjolhede has been outstanding all season for IU at middle blocker. A starter in every match, the Colleyville, Texas native put up eight total blocks against No. 21 Western Kentucky.

She owns 39 total blocks on the season and the Big Ten's fourth-best hitting percentage (.390).

The Hoosiers are 16-23 all-time in Big Ten openers. In the Steve Aird, IU is 2-2 with wins in 2018 (Northwestern) and 2021 (Michigan State).

IU last won its road opener in the Big Ten during a trip to Ohio State in 2018.

The Opposition

No. 9 Penn State (11-0)
• Led by first-year head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, Penn State is off to a 11-0 start that includes a pair of wins over top-20 foes Stanford and Oregon.

• The 7-time National Champions feature a brilliant offensive attack including a trio of athletes (Anjelina Starck, Zoe Weatherington and Kashauna Williams) with 100+ kills on the season.

• The Nittany Lions are allowing their opponents to hit just .145 on the season with three girls (Taylor Trammell, Seleisa Elisaia and Allie Holland) owning 40+ total blocks on the campaign.

Maryland (9-3)
• Maryland and fifth-year coach Adam Hughes are off to a 9-3 start this season. They will open their conference slate on Friday evening at Illinois.

• Two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Rainelle Jones (77 total blocks) leads a potent Terrapin defense that averages 3.38 blocks per set.

• San Csire and Laila Ivey provided a one-two punch on the attack with 261 kills between the pair of outside hitters.

Opening Weekend:

Venue: Rec Hall (University Park, Pa.); Xfinity Center Pavilion (College Park, Md.)
Watch: BTN+
Live Stats:
- Indiana vs. Penn State: https://bit.ly/3UuIzYG
- Indiana vs. Maryland: https://bit.ly/3UsUs1p
Schedule (EDT):
- Friday, Sept. 23: Indiana vs. Penn State (7:00 PM)
- Sunday, Sept. 25: Indiana vs. Maryland (1:00 PM)

Hoosiers Open Conference Play at No. 9 Penn State, Maryland

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Players Mentioned

Paula Cerame

Morgan Geddes

Camryn Haworth

Savannah Kjolhede

Mady Saris

Indiana University Athletics