When Steve Aird took over the Indiana volleyball program in 2018, the Hoosiers were coming off a season where they finished 1-19 in Big Ten play and just 12-20 overall. The team still played its games out on the bypass. The foundation of the house lacked a strong bedrock.
Fast forward nearly 10 years, and Aird, whose office now looks out onto Fee Lane and is inside the sparkling Wilkinson Hall, is preparing his squad to build off its Sweet 16 season a year ago.
“I would say is the foundation of the house is really good,” Aird told Hoosier Huddle. “The team is really, really good. It’s talented. We’re deep. Recruiting has gone really well.”
Indiana is coming off a 25-8 (14-6) season that saw the Hoosiers host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 with wins over Toledo and Colorado. The Hoosiers’ season did end there with a loss to Texas in Austin, but the success was built on youth and a coach who has seen his work rewarded.
Redefining success after a very successful year is a tricky game to play.
“I think it’s funny because it’s like everything else. It’s like the goalposts move. So you take a program over that has one win. You go to the Sweet 16, and now it’s like, can you make an Elite Eight? Like, how do you make a Final Four?” Aird said.
The Big Ten is the premier conference for volleyball as they have eight of the top 25 in the preseason AVCA poll. The Hoosiers check in at 16th. So the Hoosiers could have a more experienced roster and not meet the goals set by people outside the program.
“The good news is that we had a lot of young players on the roster last year. We brought in some pieces. I think the program is better. I think the team is better than we were a year ago.” Aird said. “I just think it’s hard because the conference will be better. The conference at the high end, spending a lot of money. I think you’ve got to have some things go well, bounces go right.”
Like all coaches, Aird is focused on what he and his team can control as they prepare for a schedule that features games against 10 ranked opponents, including No. 1 Nebraska, which comes to Bloomington on October 8th.
Other Indiana Volleyball Notes
- Indiana will host their Crimson and Cream Scrimmage at Wilkinson Hall on Friday, August 21st at 6pm
- IU opens the regular season at No. 7 Louisville on August 28th and will be televised on ACCNX
- Head coach Steve Aird boosted his attacking options on Wednesday (Aug. 19) afternoon with the signing of outside hitter Spyridoula Komini. The 6-foot-1 native of Athens, Greece joins a talented collection of left-side hitters in Bloomington this season. She is one of two international players on IU’s 2026 roster.
Thank you to both head coach Steve Aird and Volleyball SID Jared Rigdon for their time and interview.
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