Big Ten Volleyball Media Day opened in Chicago on Aug. 3, and along with it came Indiana Hoosiers Head Coach Steve Aird, junior setter Sade Ilawole, and sophomore outside hitter Jaidyn Jager. Throughout Media Day, two themes were widely apparent for this Indiana team: sustained growth and a shared belief in the process.
“Recruiting classes over the next few years are exceptional. I just think the pinwheel is starting to spin,” Aird said. “Pushing the rock up the hill is the hardest part, and getting people to buy into you from the beginning is the hardest part. At this point, we feel like it is starting to spend pretty good.”
Aird is entering his ninth year as head coach for Indiana. He has seen Hoosier volleyball through every outcome. When he arrived in Bloomington, the Hoosiers had only one conference win the year prior, and in his first season he brought the team to seven conference wins. Success is not linear, and there were a few more struggles along the way; however, since 2022 the program has been climbing to new heights.
“When I took the job, they had one conference win,” Aird said. “It was an uphill battle; we knew it was going to take some time.”
Aird trusted the process and his recruiting cycles, and in 2025 the Hoosiers saw the rewards. Indiana volleyball completed a 25-win season, marking the most wins in program history. They made an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2010, making it all the way to the Sweet 16.
The momentum from the 2025 season is clear, and captains Ilawole and Jager will use that to their advantage. However, there is another factor driving their inspiration and motivation, and it began when Indiana Football hoisted the 2025 National Championship trophy over their heads. That moment made Indiana University believe in anything, and that belief rippled down to other athletic programs.
“I would say that football, having an undefeated season, just pushes all other athletes to continue winning for the school,” Ilawole said. We saw what football winning the national championship did for the university and the state of Indiana. I think we aspire to continue winning as they did.”
Aird reiterated these comments and mentioned the respect and camaraderie that exists between the Indiana athletics coaching staff and the administration, including his strong relationship with Curt Cignetti.
“I just have a lot of love and respect for the administration,” said Aird. “When Cig talks about how, from top to bottom, they’re in lockstep about stuff, I feel the same way with how they feel about volleyball.”
Belief is not absent from this Hoosiers volleyball team, and as they continue to chip away, new doors will form on their building. The success the Hoosiers found last season began several years ago with recruiting, buying in, and finding the right student-athletes, and it occurred because there was an unwillingness to be complacent.
“As much as we have gotten better, we’re still not there. There is no one in the organization that thinks we have arrived. We are still trying to hunt.”
With a tougher schedule this year, the Hoosiers will face challenges head-on and become better for them. Setbacks and challenges are all part of growth; they require the team to keep climbing, and that is just what Indiana volleyball strives to do.
“It’s taken a lot of time. I don’t think we are all the way there,” said Aird. “But we could build a program that people could be proud of.”
And with that, Indiana Volleyball will continue to build every single day, fostering a belief that extends far beyond Bloomington. That journey will begin in Wilkinson Hall on Aug. 14 against Notre Dame.
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