Students are almost back in Bloomington, and as a result a new volleyball season is ushered in with the near return of autumn weather.
The first opportunity for incoming freshmen to have a peek at Indiana Athletics came on Friday evening as the Indiana volleyball team hosted its Cream and Crimson Intrasquad scrimmage.
Although the event was mostly designed as an event for fans, we still were able to get a glimpse of some competition between the Hoosiers, and came away with a few takeaways as they prep for the regular season.
Depth at attack
The Hoosier volleyball squad is coming off a 2023 season where they finished fourth in total kills in the Big Ten. They certainly looked the part on Friday, with multiple returnees finding some success in the scrimmage.
Indiana retains nearly all of its outside depth from last season, which includes Morgan Geddes, Avry Tatum, Candela Alonso-Corcelles and Mady Saris. All of which helped propel Indiana to over 1600 kills last season, including 13.30 kills per set. All played in the scrimmage on Friday and found success multiple times.
If there were a candidate to lead the group for the upcoming season, it would favor Alonso-Corcelles. She led Indiana with 344 kills in 2023, and averaged nearly three kills each set for the Hoosiers. Alonso-Corcelles, who is only a junior, improved those numbers even with less sets played than the year prior. If she continues to be efficient while also seeing more time on the court, watch out for some impressive numbers for the Spaniard.
Hayworth looks to dominate
Coming off of All-American recognition, Camryn Haworth looks to be the one to lead Indiana this season. Haworth was recently named one of the captains for the Hoosier squad for the upcoming season and looks to continue off a widely productive 2023 campaign.
Haworth looked like the veteran everyone expected to see on Friday evening. She seemed to be in the right position on every point she earned, with multiple highlight-reel efforts to set up teammates.
Perhaps the biggest weapon that Haworth possessed last season was her deadly jump serve. Haworth led the nation with 73 service aces last season, with the second-most total in the Big Ten being 40. Along with her ability to find teammates, Haworth’s serving ability is one of the best in the country.
Haworth did not utilize a jump serve method in her serve attempts at the Cream and Crimson Scrimmage, yet that could have been for a variety of reasons, such as injury risk or just to hold off until the regular season. Haworth needs just 24 service aces to break the all-time Hoosier record held by Jen Maggelsen.
If Haworth continues to improve as she has each season, opponents could continue to have trouble dealing with the impact she provides for the Indiana squad.
Question marks at the middle blocker position
Indiana’s biggest unknown heading into the upcoming season is filling the middle blocker position, and it seems that reined true on Friday. Indiana is without Kaley Rammelsburg (exhausted eligibility) and Savannah Kjolhede (transfer to Arizona State), so finding its go-to pieces will be key before the start of the 2024 campaign.
Among the starting candidates are incoming Missouri transfer Madi Sell, returning sophomore Ava Vickers, and freshman Ella Boersema. Sell has the experience edge over the other suitors, as she started all 27 matches that she played in her freshman season. However, a coaching change limited Sell in 2023 as she played in just seven games and 11 total sets.
Vickers also saw some limited time with the Hoosiers last season, appearing in 12 matches with four stats in her premiere collegiate season. Vickers, who is a former No. 3 recruit in the state of Indiana, will likely also have a more prominent role in 2024.
With UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington all joining the Big Ten with high-octane offenses, the Hoosiers will need to step it up in the trenches to compete for the top. Indiana ranked sixth in blocks per set last season.
Indiana kicks off its season against Kennesaw State on Friday, Aug. 30, with the first home matchup coming against UC Davis the following Monday on Sept. 2. Follow @TaliaGoodmanWBB, @RyanCanfieldOnX, and @owengraham22 on X/Twitter for updates throughout the season.
