After a 3-1 Labor Day weekend, the Indiana volleyball team resumed action on Friday at the Hoosier Invitational at brand new Wilkinson Hall in Bloomington. Early in the day, the Hoosiers knocked off Pac-12 opponent Oregon State, 25-15, 25-17, 25-18. At night, in front of a season-high 1,974 fans, IU fell to Big 12 member Oklahoma in a 5-set epic, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 14-25, 12-15.
Game 1: Oregon State
Early on Friday, IU, in straight sets, defeated Oregon State that came into Bloomington with a 2-1 record. Sophomore Breanna Edwards led the Hoosiers with 12 kills, while freshman defensive specialist Haley Armstrong recorded a match-high 15 digs. The victory over OSU bumped up IU’s record on the season to 4-1.
Game 2: Oklahoma
In the Friday night tilt against OU, the Hoosiers jumped out to a two games to one lead. The highlight of the early part of the game came when sophomore Kari Zumach valiantly saved a ball from going out of bounds, saw the ball clip the net, and fall delicately between four OU players for a point.
The turning point came in the fourth game. Oklahoma flew out to a 15-5 lead, seemingly in the blink of an eye. IU burned two timeouts, as coach Steve Aird tried to turn things around. Oklahoma ultimately won the fourth, 25-14, setting up a make-or-break fifth game.
Our effort was pretty disappointing (in the fourth game).
IU head coach Steve Aird
While the final game was well-contested, Oklahoma got the key points at the crucial moments. Sophomore defensive specialist and 2018 Big 12 Libero of the Year Keyton Kinley scrambled all over the floor for a remarkable 30 digs, as IU could not break the seal on the OU defense. Oklahoma won the final game 15-12. In the nightcap, IU was led by outside hitter Kamryn Malloy’s 10 kills. Malloy and Armstrong shared the team lead with 15 digs each.
Next Up
IU’s next match will take place Sunday, September 8, against Yale, at Wilkinson Hall. The Bulldogs fell in five games to Oklahoma on Friday afternoon, and dropped their second contest against Oregon State in four games. IU (4-2) and Yale (0-2) will kick things off at 1 P.M. on Sunday.
