Indiana’s Saturday sweep over Maryland had Wilkinson Hall buzzing, but two moments brought the crowd to another level. The first came when the Hoosiers secured the match. The second came earlier, when Avry Tatum recorded her first kill.
For Tatum, that moment represented more than just another point on the scoreboard. It marked her return to the court for Indiana after a long and uncertain road back to Bloomington.
In 2025 Tatum had a breakout senior season. She earned an All-American honorable mention, First Team All-Big Ten and recorded a career high in kills with 359. Because she had such a strong season, Tatum was selected in the fourth round by the Columbus Fury in the Major League Volleyball draft. After not playing for the Fury, Tatum elected to return to Indiana, but it was not that simple.
Tatum is now in the fifth year of her collegiate career after going through a lengthy process to regain her eligibility. On July 31, a Colorado court granted athletes from the 2022 high school recruiting class an additional year of NCAA eligibility, which opened the door for Tatum to return to Indiana for the 2026 season. However, the NCAA appealed the ruling, and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay on Aug. 21, putting Tatum’s eligibility back in question. Tatum then sought legal protection in Indiana, and on Sept. 4, the Monroe Circuit Court granted her a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. The order prevented the NCAA from enforcing its four-season eligibility rule against Tatum, allowing her to practice and compete for Indiana during the 2026-27 season.
Fast forward to Saturday and Tatum wasted no time to make her presence felt. She recorded 10 kills and six blocks to help the Hoosiers cruise past the Terrapins. Tatum being back on the court makes Indiana’s rotation just that much more dangerous. With Tatum’s return, junior Ella Boersema was able to return to her natural position in the middle which is where she thrives the most. Boersema led Indiana in kills with 11 mostly playing in between Tatum and Jager.
“The good thing with moving Boersema back to the middle is we did that against Southern Indiana and she was unreal. We did it last year and she was really good,” head coach Steve Aird said after the Maryland victory. “We’ve got real depth in the middle right now which is good.”
Being able to plug Tatum back into this lineup gives Indiana more options. Of course, you still have Jaidyn Jager on the outside, but now you have Kiki Granberry and Boersema rotating in the middle. Sara Snowbarger and Victoria Gray can come in on the outside whenever and with Teodora Krickovic’s ability to spread the ball around, the sky is the limit for this offensive attack.
“She’s adding a sense of calmness, and we always know we can rely on her because she is a senior again I think,” Krickovic said jokingly after the Maryland game. “It’s great having her back as a leader and a player on the court.”
The Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and with this Indiana team being relatively young, having a veteran like Tatum back in the rotation provides valuable experience and stability. With several sophomores and juniors playing key roles on this Indiana team, Tatum has an opportunity to lead the Hoosiers through a difficult stretch of games while bringing poise and confidence to a young team.
After months of uncertainty surrounding whether she would even be allowed to play, Tatum is finally back on the court. And with her return, the Hoosiers have another veteran voice, another offensive option and another reason to believe they are ready for the challenge ahead.
Because of the challenges ahead, it seems like Tatum could not have come back at a better time. Indiana will be riding a seven-game winning streak into their match next week at No. 6 Wisconsin. After that, the next time we will see the Hoosiers in Wilkinson Hall will be against No. 1 Nebraska on Oct. 8. A challenging stretch of games and the addition of Tatum will only improve this already impressive Hoosier squad.
