Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, September 1
West Lafayette, Ind.
6 p.m.
Indiana University
vs
Georgia
Volleyball Central: Big Ten-SEC Challenge Week
8/30/2026 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The first full week of the season for the Indiana volleyball team (0-1, 0-0 B1G) will take it up north to West Lafayette for the first B1G-SEC Challenge Week presented by All State. Purdue is the host team for this quadrant of the challenge that also features IU, Georgia and Texas A&M. The Hoosiers will play Georgia on Tuesday (Sept. 1) before playing the defending national champions on Wednesday (Sept. 2).
This week, with matchups assigned by the conference, is part of head coach Steve Aird's desire to challenge his team from the jump in 2026. The season began last Friday with a loss at No. 7 Louisville. After going blow for blow in set one with the Cardinals, Louisville used its experience from opening weekend to turn on the jets in its home opener.
Now with a game in the bank, the Hoosiers return to the court with a chance to put some resume-boosting wins in their bag. Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and third-year middle blocker Ella Boersema each shared the team lead with seven kills in Friday's effort. First-year outside hitter Sara Snowbarger made her collegiate debut with two blocks and two kills.
Beginning on Tuesday, IU will play four games in seven days in a tour of the Midwest. Sloane Martin and Emily Ehman will have the call of both games in West Lafayette on Tuesday (FS1) and Wednesday (BTN) evenings. IU's home opener is set for September 10th against Cal Poly.
Gameday Details
#16 Indiana (0-1) vs. Georgia (3-0)
Tuesday, Sept. 1st | 6 p.m. ET | Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)
TV: FS1 (Sloane Martin & Emily Ehman)
Live Video | Live Stats
Gameday Details
#16 Indiana (0-1) vs. #8 Texas A&M (3-2)
Wednesday, Sept. 2nd | 5 p.m. ET | Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)
TV: BTN (Sloane Martin & Emily Ehman)
Live Video | Live Stats
A Win Would
GEORGIA: Be the first victory over Georgia since 1988. It will also be the third time under head coach Steve Aird that the Hoosiers have beaten an SEC program.
TEXAS A&M: Be the 15th top-15 win in program history and the fifth under head coach Steve Aird. It would also be the second win against the Aggies during his tenure.
BOTH: Be a pair of resume-boosting victories during the early portion of the year. It would improve IU to 30-37-1 against current SEC schools.
Stat and Trends
• The Hoosiers will play at Mackey Arena for the third-straight year with contests against Georgia, Texas A&M.
• IU has finished .500 or better in each of the last four seasons - the program has won 77 games since 2022.
• Head coach Steve Aird and the Hoosiers will face four-straight power four conference programs to open the year.
Notable
TOUGH TESTS CONTINUES: After dropping a match at No. 7 Louisville last Friday, IU's start to the year moves on with matches against Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 22 Tennessee. This is the first time since 1987 that the Hoosiers will play at least three ranked opponents during the non-conference slate.
STELLAR SOPHOMORES: All six members of IU's second-year class played in Friday's match and have appeared in at least 25 games in their career. Outside hitter Jaidyn Jager, setter Teodora Krickovic and defensive specialist Audrey Jackson have played in all 34 contests of their collegiate career.
BOERSEMA RETURNS: Third-year middle blocker Ella Boersema returned to the court in a real match for the first time since last October. She played on the right side in IU's opener at No. 7 Louisville and shared the team lead with seven kills. She had six kills in the first set of the match while hitting .625.
SNOWY SHOWS UP: First-year outside hitter Sara Snowbarger recorded her first two collegiate kills in her debut match for the Hoosiers on Friday. She is the 18th freshman - seventh outside hitter - to start on opening night under the guidance of head coach Steve Aird in Bloomington.
SEC HISTORY: Against the current members of the SEC, the Hoosiers have an all-time record of 28-37-1. The last win against a team in the league was actually against Texas A&M during the 2022 campaign. Head coach Steve Aird also knocked off Kentucky during his second year in 2019.
VETERAN PRESENCE: Fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry is back on the court after taking a medical redshirt last year at Tennessee. She had three kills and three blocks in IU's game at Louisville. In her collegiate career, Granberry is hitting .371 with over 500 total kills out of the middle.
STAYING LOYAL: Of the 11 players that appeared on the court on Friday for the Hoosiers, 10 of them began their careers in Bloomington. Three of the starters in the match against Louisville (Jager, Gray, Krickovic) also started last year's season-opening win at Miami (Fla.).
ON THE ROAD: Head coach Steve Aird is looking for his 10th ranked win as the leader of the IU program. He took down four ranked opponents during last year's season, including road wins at USC and UCLA. He has a ranked victory over an SEC opponent (No. 15 Kentucky - Sept. 14, 2019) during his tenure.
Scouting the Opponent
Georgia (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
• The Bulldogs won all three games in their home invitational to begin the season. Graduate student outside hitter Bianna Muoneke surpassed 1,000 career kills with 15 in the four-set victory over Furman. She's averaging 3.50 kills per set as Georgia's top offensive option early in the year.
• Sophomore outside hitter Marin Collins (2.50 kills per set) and freshman opposite hitter Gigi Artilles (3.00 kills per set) join Muoneke on the pins. Sophomore setter Chloe Elarton has handled most of the duties as the starting setter in a 5-1 system.
Texas A&M (3-2, 0-0 SEC)
• The Aggies are still awaiting the return of star senior outside hitter Kyndal Stowers who has missed the first five games of the year through injury. Fifth-year outside hitter Natalie Ring has carried the load in the meanwhile with 3.76 kills per set in the first 17 sets of the year.
• Sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove and senior setter Lily Nicholson have shared duties at the position early in the year but Musgrove's 104 assists (6.12 per set) lead the way. She has gotten good contributions from sophomore outside hitter Megan Fitch and junior middle blocker Eliza Sharp in the early proceedings of the year.
Inside the Series
Georgia
• These two teams played four times in a six year span, alternating home sites in the late 1980's and early 1990's. However, the series hasn't been touched since then. This is the first neutral site meeting between the Bulldogs and Hoosiers in program history.
Texas A&M
• This is one team that has a little more familiarity over the years. Indiana and Texas A&M have played twice in the Steve Aird era including a 3-1 win in 2022 on the campus of Western Kentucky.
• No one from that game four years ago is still on the team but veteran middle blocker Kiki Granberry did play against the Aggies while she was at Tennessee.
This week, with matchups assigned by the conference, is part of head coach Steve Aird's desire to challenge his team from the jump in 2026. The season began last Friday with a loss at No. 7 Louisville. After going blow for blow in set one with the Cardinals, Louisville used its experience from opening weekend to turn on the jets in its home opener.
Now with a game in the bank, the Hoosiers return to the court with a chance to put some resume-boosting wins in their bag. Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager and third-year middle blocker Ella Boersema each shared the team lead with seven kills in Friday's effort. First-year outside hitter Sara Snowbarger made her collegiate debut with two blocks and two kills.
Beginning on Tuesday, IU will play four games in seven days in a tour of the Midwest. Sloane Martin and Emily Ehman will have the call of both games in West Lafayette on Tuesday (FS1) and Wednesday (BTN) evenings. IU's home opener is set for September 10th against Cal Poly.
Gameday Details
#16 Indiana (0-1) vs. Georgia (3-0)
Tuesday, Sept. 1st | 6 p.m. ET | Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)
TV: FS1 (Sloane Martin & Emily Ehman)
Live Video | Live Stats
Gameday Details
#16 Indiana (0-1) vs. #8 Texas A&M (3-2)
Wednesday, Sept. 2nd | 5 p.m. ET | Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)
TV: BTN (Sloane Martin & Emily Ehman)
Live Video | Live Stats
A Win Would
GEORGIA: Be the first victory over Georgia since 1988. It will also be the third time under head coach Steve Aird that the Hoosiers have beaten an SEC program.
TEXAS A&M: Be the 15th top-15 win in program history and the fifth under head coach Steve Aird. It would also be the second win against the Aggies during his tenure.
BOTH: Be a pair of resume-boosting victories during the early portion of the year. It would improve IU to 30-37-1 against current SEC schools.
Stat and Trends
• The Hoosiers will play at Mackey Arena for the third-straight year with contests against Georgia, Texas A&M.
• IU has finished .500 or better in each of the last four seasons - the program has won 77 games since 2022.
• Head coach Steve Aird and the Hoosiers will face four-straight power four conference programs to open the year.
Notable
TOUGH TESTS CONTINUES: After dropping a match at No. 7 Louisville last Friday, IU's start to the year moves on with matches against Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 22 Tennessee. This is the first time since 1987 that the Hoosiers will play at least three ranked opponents during the non-conference slate.
STELLAR SOPHOMORES: All six members of IU's second-year class played in Friday's match and have appeared in at least 25 games in their career. Outside hitter Jaidyn Jager, setter Teodora Krickovic and defensive specialist Audrey Jackson have played in all 34 contests of their collegiate career.
BOERSEMA RETURNS: Third-year middle blocker Ella Boersema returned to the court in a real match for the first time since last October. She played on the right side in IU's opener at No. 7 Louisville and shared the team lead with seven kills. She had six kills in the first set of the match while hitting .625.
SNOWY SHOWS UP: First-year outside hitter Sara Snowbarger recorded her first two collegiate kills in her debut match for the Hoosiers on Friday. She is the 18th freshman - seventh outside hitter - to start on opening night under the guidance of head coach Steve Aird in Bloomington.
SEC HISTORY: Against the current members of the SEC, the Hoosiers have an all-time record of 28-37-1. The last win against a team in the league was actually against Texas A&M during the 2022 campaign. Head coach Steve Aird also knocked off Kentucky during his second year in 2019.
VETERAN PRESENCE: Fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry is back on the court after taking a medical redshirt last year at Tennessee. She had three kills and three blocks in IU's game at Louisville. In her collegiate career, Granberry is hitting .371 with over 500 total kills out of the middle.
STAYING LOYAL: Of the 11 players that appeared on the court on Friday for the Hoosiers, 10 of them began their careers in Bloomington. Three of the starters in the match against Louisville (Jager, Gray, Krickovic) also started last year's season-opening win at Miami (Fla.).
ON THE ROAD: Head coach Steve Aird is looking for his 10th ranked win as the leader of the IU program. He took down four ranked opponents during last year's season, including road wins at USC and UCLA. He has a ranked victory over an SEC opponent (No. 15 Kentucky - Sept. 14, 2019) during his tenure.
Scouting the Opponent
Georgia (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
• The Bulldogs won all three games in their home invitational to begin the season. Graduate student outside hitter Bianna Muoneke surpassed 1,000 career kills with 15 in the four-set victory over Furman. She's averaging 3.50 kills per set as Georgia's top offensive option early in the year.
• Sophomore outside hitter Marin Collins (2.50 kills per set) and freshman opposite hitter Gigi Artilles (3.00 kills per set) join Muoneke on the pins. Sophomore setter Chloe Elarton has handled most of the duties as the starting setter in a 5-1 system.
Texas A&M (3-2, 0-0 SEC)
• The Aggies are still awaiting the return of star senior outside hitter Kyndal Stowers who has missed the first five games of the year through injury. Fifth-year outside hitter Natalie Ring has carried the load in the meanwhile with 3.76 kills per set in the first 17 sets of the year.
• Sophomore setter Kirra Musgrove and senior setter Lily Nicholson have shared duties at the position early in the year but Musgrove's 104 assists (6.12 per set) lead the way. She has gotten good contributions from sophomore outside hitter Megan Fitch and junior middle blocker Eliza Sharp in the early proceedings of the year.
Inside the Series
Georgia
• These two teams played four times in a six year span, alternating home sites in the late 1980's and early 1990's. However, the series hasn't been touched since then. This is the first neutral site meeting between the Bulldogs and Hoosiers in program history.
Texas A&M
• This is one team that has a little more familiarity over the years. Indiana and Texas A&M have played twice in the Steve Aird era including a 3-1 win in 2022 on the campus of Western Kentucky.
• No one from that game four years ago is still on the team but veteran middle blocker Kiki Granberry did play against the Aggies while she was at Tennessee.
Players Mentioned
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