Indiana Volleyball Wins Five-Set Thriller at Iowa

Indiana split its weekend matches at Iowa. After dropping the first match on Friday, the Hoosiers battle through an exciting five-set match on Saturday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In back-to-back road weekends in the Big Ten, Indiana volleyball has found ways to pull out some victories.

The latest installment of this came in Coralville, Iowa, this past weekend where the Hawkeyes unveiled a brand new arena, Xtream Arena, and the Hoosiers were the first opponents to play in it.

Indiana won the very first set played in Xtream Arena, beating the Hawkeyes 25-21 in the first set. But much like the week prior against Rutgers, Indiana struggled to maintain any momentum after that.

The Hawkeyes went on to win the next three sets and defeat the Hoosiers 3-1 on Friday.

But Saturday was a different story.

The first set was the indicator that this match was going to come down to the wire. Neither team could gain an edge to 25 points, so the set continued until Iowa finally gained a two-point advantage at 30-28 to win the first set. The first set was tied 17 times.

Then it was Indiana's turn to throw a punch. The Hoosiers took off in the second set, going on a 9-0 run and winning it 25-14, one of their largest win margins of the season so far.

Indiana hit .348 in the second set with 10 kills and held Iowa to a negative hitting percentage, -.138.

Tied 1-1, Indiana maintained that momentum, securing the third set 25-18. The Hoosiers were on pace to do what Iowa did to them on Friday, but then the Hawkeyes bounced back, just outlasting Indiana 25-23 in the fourth set.

In the deciding fifth set, Indiana found a way. The Hoosiers battled back from down 7-5 to tie it back up. They then took the lead 13-12, which turned into 14-13 and the match point in which Breana Edwards rose up for a kill to win the set 15-13 and send Indiana home with a victory.

"I thought we battled in all the games tonight," head coach Steve Aird said. "I'm most proud of the level at which we competed."

Indiana's freshmen trio of Tommi Stockman, Leyla Blackwell and Savannah Kjolhede combined for 47 kills, and the Hoosiers as a team recorded 22 blocks. The 22 blocks are tied for the second best in a Big Ten match in program history.

Stockman led the Hoosiers with a season-high 26 kills, and she also added 10 digs for her second straight double-double.

"We got great contributions from a lot of people," Aird said. "The blocking was good. It's important to me that we develop into a good blocking team."

With the win, Indiana improved to 2-4 on the season and ultimately just more experience for the young players on the team, which Aird has said on multiple occasions is one of the more valuable things for this season.

The Hoosier head coach tweeted after the game, "Proud of the squad. Learning how to win is a skill. I love this group."

Proud of the squad. Learning how to win is a skill. I love this group https://t.co/AOf9wnwRbo

— Steve Aird (@CoachAird) February 7, 2021

Next up for Indiana will be two home matches this weekend against Wisconsin.