Volleyball Central: 305 Challenge

Friday, September 15

Coral Gables, Fla.

11:00 AM

Indiana University

Stetson

9/14/2023 9:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

305 Challenge Notes (PDF)

MIAMI, Fla. - The final weekend of the non-conference schedule awaits the Indiana Volleyball team (6-3, 0-0) with four contests in Miami at the 305 Challenge.

A third-consecutive week on the road and a third-straight trip to a different time zone, this time staying in the Eastern Time Zone in Coral Gables and Miami, awaits the Hoosiers for four contests on Friday (Sept. 15) and Saturday (Sept. 16).

This marks IU's first four-game weekend since 2019 and the first weekend with four contests away from home since 2016. Weekend opponents include Stetson, Jacksonville, Florida International and 2022 NCAA Tournament program Miami (FL).

Matches with Miami and Florida International will be streamed through the ESPN+ app with all live stats available through Stat Broadcast and IU's social media channels.

The Hoosiers will have a quick turnaround after the weekend before opening Big Ten play against Illinois on the Big Ten Network on Wednesday, September 20th (8:00 PM).

Match Info
Friday, September 15, 2023 | vs. Stetson | 11:00 AM ET
TV: No Stream
Live Stats

Friday, September 15, 2023 | at Miami | 7:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats

Saturday, September 16, 2023 | vs. Jacksonville | 11:00 AM ET
TV: No Stream
Live Stats

Saturday, September 16, 2023 | at Florida International | 7:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats

Hoosier News and Notes
Team Breakdown
• The Hoosiers opened their 2023 campaign at the Indiana Invitational, sweeping New Hampshire, Southern Indiana and Radford in commanding victories.

• IU tested itself early in the season with a trip to the Long Beach Invitational. A tough weekend at The Beach, which featured three defeats and eight of nine set loss by four of fewer points, was a strong litmus test for the Hoosiers in the early going of the season.

• With a straight sweep of opponents at the Stacheville Challenge, IU returned to winning ways and will ride a three-match winning streak to Miami. All six wins for IU this year have been by sweep.

• 12 players from last year's roster return including All-Big Ten junior setter Camryn Haworth, junior outside hitter Mady Saris, senior outside hitter Morgan Geddes and senior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede.

• IU adds Cincinnati transfer Avry Tatum (OPP) as well as talented freshmen Ramsey Gary (L), Ava Vickers (MB) and Luca Fickell (S) to the roster.

The Hoosiers
• IU will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule this weekend with four matches spread between the campuses of Miami (FL) and Florida International.

• The Hoosiers are riding a three-game winning streak and will look for the perfect 4-0 weekend to round out the preseason before Big Ten action begins.

• Graduate student Kaley Rammelsberg as well as Haworth and Saris were All-Tournament selections at the Stacheville Challenge as IU handled opponents in three easy sweeps.

• A perfect weekend in Miami would ensure the Hoosiers 10 wins in the non-conference for the first time since 2019 and be the fourth season since the turn of the century the program brought 10+ wins and at least one power five victory home out of the preseason.

• As a team, the Hoosiers are 1st in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally with 2.10 aces per set. In total, IU has 61 aces on the season including 18 from Haworth (tied No. 2 in the Big Ten).

• The Hoosiers are 51st in the NCAA and 3rd in the Big Ten in total team blocks, racking up 79.0 stuffs across the first nine matches of the season.

Building on Momentum
• The Hoosiers took a massive step forward in the 2022 season, playing to 16 total wins including nine in the conference. IU finished eighth in the conference after being picked 13th to begin the season.

• IU won nine conference games in 2022 compared to four in 2021 which marked a five-win increase, tied for the second-biggest jump in program history.

• An overall jump from 10 to 16 wins in 2022 was tied for the third-biggest improvement between seasons in program history.

Returning Numbers
• IU returns a strong core of athletes from its 2022 team including six of seven starters. Coming along with that includes a large majority of team statistics from last year that return for another go-around. The Hoosiers return 98.4% of kills and 96.8% of blocks from last year's roster.

• Four different players on IU's roster last year had 200+ kills and all four athletes return including Saris, Geddes, Kjolhede and sophomore outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles.

Player Watch
#10 Haworth, Camryn
• Haworth was 4th in the Big Ten in assists (1,111), 6th in assists per set (9.03) and 1st in aces (49) in 2022

• She became the first IU athlete to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors since 2010 (Ashley Benson) and was named to the 2023 Preseason All-Big Ten team.

• The Fishers, Ind. native is closing in on an elusive club. Only 10 setters in program history have eclipsed 2,000 assists with Haworth (1,894) expected to pass that mark in the non-conference portion of the schedule.

• She is fifth all-time in aces during the rally era (109) and could challenge for the rally-era ace record (130) this season across IU's 33 matches. She is one of just 19 IU players all-time to have ever recorded 100+ aces. Overall, she is 12th all-time in program history with 109 aces.

• For her career, Haworth has 1,894 assists, 509 digs and 109 aces. Only three Hoosiers have ever eclipsed 2,000+ assists, 500+ digs and 100+ aces in their career. IU's junior setter will likely hit that mark before Big Ten play.

• She had a season's best 46 assists against Long Beach State, the 13th time in her career she's dished out 40+ assists in a single match. She has two double-doubles on the year including one against Lindenwood (32 assists, 10 digs) last weekend.

#4 Saris, Mady
• Mady Saris finished 6th in the Big Ten in kills (427) last year, 8th in kills per set (3.47) and 6th in points (489) as the Hoosiers' top offensive weapon in 2022.

• Saris is in line to become the next member of the 1,000 kill club at IU. She has 789 kills through two seasons and would become the 20th athlete to eclipse the mark in an IU uniform.

• She reached double-digit kills in all three games at the Indiana Invitational including 14 in a victory over Southern Indiana. For her career, she's reached 10+ kills on 46 occasions across three seasons.

• The junior has started and contested in all 73 matches of her collegiate career. She was named to the Stacheville Challenge All-Tournament team after recording 38 kills in three matches.

#18 Rammelsberg, Kaley
• The graduate student had the most productive weekend of any Hoosier this season, earning Tournament MVP honors at the Stacheville Challenge after putting away 25 kills and blocking 23 shots.

• For her career, between stops at IU and High Point, Rammelsberg has 811 kills, 328 blocks and 1028.0 points while hitting a collective .340 with over 1760 attempts.

• IU's all-time hitting percentage list is based on athletes with over 1,000 career attempts in the Cream and Crimson. In three seasons, she has 964 attempts and is hitting .313 despite recovering from an injury at the end of the 2022 season.

• At her current rate, with 36 more attempts, she would sit No. 2 in program history in hitting percentage behind only All-American Ashley Benson.

• Her 23 blocks across the three-game Stacheville Challenge were the most in a three-match span by an IU athlete since the 2014 campaign.

#15 Kjolhede, Savannah
• The Colleyville, Texas native was one of the Big Ten's best blockers last year and is 8th among active Big Ten players in blocks (285).

• She is 14th all-time in blocks at IU and is only 15 away from becoming the 14th athlete with 300+ blocks in an IU uniform. It would take 325 total stuffs to crack the top-10 in IU's all-time ranks.

• The veteran middle has played in 89 games of her college career and has started 87 of those including all 18 during her freshman campaign which was shortened by COVID-19. The only games she missed was the opening against Radford and Lindenwood in which she was a healthy, unused sub.

• She and Rammelsberg have combined to play 201 matches, put away 1,313 kills and reject 613 shots during their collegiate careers: making them one of the most veteran duos in college volleyball. Duke's middle blocker duo (223 career matches) and Dayton's (220) are the only ones confirmed to have played more.

#32 Gary, Ramsey
• One of the top-rated prep liberos in the 2023 class, Gary has lived up to the billing early in her college career. She has 110 digs across nine matches and has 10+ digs in eight of her nine career contests played.

• Her 110 digs are most among Big Ten freshmen and most among Power Five freshmen in the NCAA this year ahead of Illinois's Lily Barry (107) in both categories.

BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
Hoosiers among middle group of teams.
• IU was picked 8th in the Big Ten Preseason Volleyball poll, its highest mark since the conference begin ranking all 14 teams.

• Camryn Haworth made the Preseason All-Big Ten team, IU's first such honor since the 2010 season (Ashley Benson).

Opponent Breakdown: Stetson
Series History: 3-1 (Indiana leads) | Last Meeting: 9/20/19 (W, 3-1)

• Annabelle Standish is the go-to option offensively and leads the way with 133 kills on a .231 clip this year.
• Nyah Molina runs the offense and has dished out 248 assists this campaign.
• Sophia Groom is young but a force in the middle with 31 blocks on the year.

Opponent Breakdown: Miami
Series History: Tied 2-2 | Last Meeting: 9/15/12 (W, 3-0)

• A tournament team a year ago, Miami is 5-2 this year and has defeated Big Ten foe Maryland on the opening weekend.
• Savannah Vach leads the way with 266 assists and 10.64 per set and is one of the most veteran setters in the nation.
• Janice Leao has 20 total blocks while Naylani Feliciano has dug 68 balls at 3.40 per set this year.
• The two programs met in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, a 3-2 win for the Hoosiers.

Opponent Breakdown: Jacksonville
Series History: First Meeting | Last Meeting: N/A

• The Dolphins have five players with 50+ kills on the season but are led by Anna Erickson with 86.
• This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
• Setter Rebecca Rocassin has dished out 299 assists on the season.

Opponent Breakdown: Florida International
Series History: IU leads 2-0-1 | Last Meeting: 8/30/19 (W, 3-1)

• The Panthers are 2-8 this season but have five losses to power five programs including Washington last week in Seattle.
• Jade Sadeiko and Mackenzie Morgan have been impacts as transfers and have 96 and 76 kills respectively.
• Florida International runs a 6-2 offense with Gianna Tagoa'i and Savannah Cooking dishing out balls to hitters.