Indiana fell in straight sets to USC inside Wilkinson Hall Sunday afternoon. A struggle to capitalize on set point opportunities and overcome USC’s dominant offensive performance ultimately kept a comeback out of reach for the Hoosiers.
IU Release:
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana volleyball team (10-5, 3-3 B1G) suffered its second-straight home defeat in a three-set loss (24-26, 19-25, 22-25) to USC (8-8, 2-4 B1G) on Sunday (Oct. 11) afternoon at Wilkinson Hall. It’s the first time that IU has lost consecutive home games in almost two years.
Led by a brilliant day out of the middle, USC found its offensive footing and snapped a four-match losing streak in conference action. Middle blockers Leah Ford and Mia Tvrdy had 18 kills and just one attacking error. Opposite hitter Abigail Mullen led the way with 11 kills.
IU had eight blocks, led by five from fifth-year opposite hitter Avry Tatum, but couldn’t stop the visitors in critical moments. USC won the offensive battle (.277-.206) as setter Milly McGee dished out 31 assists. Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager had 11 kills for the Hoosiers but hit just .121. IU’s .206 team hitting percentage was its lowest in over a month.
Third-year outside hitter Izzy Clark made her season debut as IU searched for a lineup that would provide a spark. She tallied her first kill of the year on her only swing after missing the first 14 matches through injury. Tatum had seven kills while fifth-year middle blocker Kiki Granberry added six. 12 of IU’s 17 active players appeared in the contest.
Head coach Steve Aird‘s group will head west next weekend to take on top-25 foes Oregon (Oct. 16) and Washington (Oct. 18) as it looks to snap a string of back-to-back losses. Both contests will take place on B1G+. It’s the beginning of a three-match road trip that also sends the team to Ohio State (Oct. 23). The next contest at Wilkinson Hall is set for Sunday, October 25th against Penn State.
How it Happened
• The end of the first set seemed to flip the momentum for the entire match. IU had two set points in game one but USC closed the frame on a 4-0 run. The Hoosiers never had a grasp of set two and saw set three get away from them late as the visitors closed out the match.
• USC showed up to Bloomington and left with a major advantage in every category. The Trojans spent most of the match in system, allowing them to run their middles with ease. USC had more kills (42-40), blocks (10.0-8.0) and a better hitting percentage (.277-.206) on Sunday afternoon.
Top Hoosier Performers
#13 Tatum, Avry
7 kills, 5 blocks, 2 digs
#12 Krickovic, Teodora
31 assists, 10 digs, 4 kills, 1 ace
#24 Jager, Jaidyn
11 kills, 4 digs, 1 block
Notes to Know
• Sunday’s defeat was the first home loss to an unranked opponent since a November setback to Minnesota during the 2023 campaign. It snapped a run of 27-straight home victories against teams outside the top 25 and is the first time IU has lost consecutive games at Wilkinson Hall since November of 2024.
• Second-year outside hitter Jaidyn Jager fought her way to reach 11 kills in the three-set loss. She has now reached double-figure kills in 18 of her 26 career Big Ten contests. Jager is now 14 kills away from reaching 600 for her collegiate career.
Discover more from Hoosier Huddle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.