The Hoosiers swept the Washington Huskies in three sets at Indiana’s Big Ten home opener on Saturday. Indiana thrived on its offensive strategies and defensive teamwork. The Hoosiers stayed perfect at home (4-0) and are now 11-1 overall, marking their best start in more than a decade and giving them momentum in one of the toughest volleyball conferences.
Both teams performed strongly offensively, getting into good rhythms of point scoring before mistakes. What won Indiana the match was its defensive clutch against Washington. It was a back-and-forth battle throughout the three sets — which Indiana won 26-24, 25-22 and 25-23 — but Indiana held most of the possession and utilized critical moments of high pressure.
Freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager has been a key part of Indiana’s team. She continues to create momentum-shifting plays that give IU the early advantage. Jager has already been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and has quickly made her presence known on the court. She led the Hoosiers with 12 kills and added eight digs, showing her all-around impact and versatility on the court.
“Some of our main goals are making it into the tournament this year, and going far," Jager said recently. "That involves taking it one step at a time, so one game at a time. Winning in our home gym is also very important to us as a team."
Washington came back stronger in the later sets, but Indiana’s defensive skills at the net ensured the game ended in the third set. Sophomore middle Ella Boersema stopped the Huskies with one solo block and three block assists. She was also one of Indiana’s top attacking scorers with a career high of nine kills. The Hoosiers totaled nine blocks during the three sets, led by Boersema, freshman middle blocker Victoria Gray, and senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum, each contributing to four.
This win was historic for Indiana as it marked their first win against Washington. It also continues the Hoosiers' strong run at home, where they remain undefeated this season and have won the Big Ten Home opener for the past five years. This victory is Indiana’s first 2-0 start in Big Ten conference play since 2003.
Indiana will travel to the West Coast next weekend for a pair of back-to-back matches in Los Angeles. They will face off against top-20 USC on Friday and UCLA on Saturday.
