Indiana volleyball defeated Big Ten contender Rutgers after numerous losses on the road against Ohio State, Northwestern and Illinois. The clock is ticking, with only five matches left for sure in Indiana’s best season in years. Their season could end in two weeks.
The Big Ten, known for tough competition, has the Hoosiers in the middle of the pack, currently placing in eighth. Indiana's chances to play in the tournament rely upon the success and rank at the end of the season.
Indiana has had its best season in a decade, having 18 wins (eight of them at home). The Hoosiers have not had this competitive of a season since 2010.
The Hoosiers have also faced numerous ranked teams in the Big Ten. Competing in close matchups between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Wisconsin in their schedule has made each matchup a tough battle.
On Friday night, Indiana produced a victory with the passionate crowd cheering just as loud as three weeks prior when Indiana made its most recent appearance at Wilkinson Hall.
Veterans Camryn Haworth, Kaley Rammelsberg, Candela Alonso-Corcelles and their teammates stepped onto the court to battle the Scarlet Knights. With the season-ending pressure in both teams’ minds, Indiana and Rutgers fought hard during each point of the first set.
Indiana head coach Steve Aird said the team continuously got better offensively and defensively as the match went on, and many players had breakout moments.
Sophomore middle blocker Avry Tatum and Rammelsburg made big plays to finish off the Hoosiers’ first set to win 25 to 22.
The tension continued within the second set, but Indiana kept momentum and did not look back upon their previous losses. Indiana found its fire, and won the second set 25-19.
The tight score between the two teams slowly faded in the third set. Indiana pulled away from its competition. The last set finished with a play under review, and the fans cheered louder than ever before when Indiana took the final victory in the third set 25-14.
Corcelles had a shining moment, finishing the night with 13 kills, eight digs and four blocks. Supporting team members Tatum and Rammelsberg also finished with nine kills.
Crowd attendance
The program has grown exponentially from previous years. Aird said Wilkinson Hall had never been close to being filled in seasons prior.
This year, Indiana has broken two attendance records, for conference matchups including the notorious Purdue rivalry and the No. 1 Nebraska game.
The non-ranked team Rutgers did not change the fanbase Indiana has built. The crowd attendance kept up to its record-breaking numbers, hosting nearly 1,800 fans (the record, 2,725, was set against Purdue on Oct. 11).
“It feels really good to be home,” Tatum said. “This year, I feel the people that are coming to our games make it easy to take a swing every single time and every person in this gym is behind us.”
On the road, on planes and missing school, the team lacked rest and recovery time.
"Being on the road it not only is really hard to train, practice and work on things that we need to," senior Savannah Kjolhede said. "It also takes a lot out of you to travel and go on planes and move around like that."
Family, friends and students gave the players energy by rallying behind the team, cheering loudly throughout Wilkinson Hall.
“It’s really fun to have people supporting you no matter what, and I think this as a whole has been the biggest support Indiana volleyball has had since I've been here,” Kjolhede said. “It feels like the community is part of the family here.”
Indiana will continue to face tough competition with hope to make the tournament season, with its next match at noon Sunday against Minnesota. The overall message from Aird and teammates to one another is to just keep grinding.
“We can’t harp on what's happened in the past,” Kjolhede said. “We have to keep on going and keep grinding. The season is not over yet so we just have to keep working hard.”
