Coming off the heels of a historic 2025 season, the Hoosiers finally got to play volleyball back on their home court in Wilkinson Hall. It was a long-awaited return, and the Hoosiers did not disappoint. Indiana welcomed Cal Poly and Eastern Illinois for their Indiana Invitational and defeated both teams in straight sets.
The fans were excited to see their Hoosiers back in action and the team gave them a show. It seemed as if playing back inside of Wilkinson Hall again rejuvenated the team after starting the season with a long stretch of hostile away games. Indiana looked more confident standing in their home arena and played like it too. The Hoosiers made quick work of the Mustangs and Panthers by sweeping both proving there is no place like home.
The vibes were high in Wilkinson Hall for players and fans alike, but not everyone is celebrating the impressive homestand by the Hoosiers.
“There were just parts of tonight that I thought were choppy and not very smooth,” head coach Steve Aird said after the Eastern Illinois victory. “We’ve got to get better.”
Sure, the box score looked great for Indiana but Aird believes there are certainly parts of their game that can use improvement. But more importantly, Aird is holding his team to a high standard even after completing two sweeps. That standard will only help the Hoosiers down the stretch of the season.
The Big Ten is one of the most competitive and talent filled conferences in the country. In order to compete in it and put yourself in a position to win come December, the standard has to be high. And Aird knows that.
“The schedule is filled with really elite teams,” Aird said. “We’re going to have to find a way to play more clean and connected. I think we will.”
One of the ways Indiana can clean up their play is by improving on their serving. Coming into the homestand, Indiana has been plagued by service errors all season long. Going into the game against Cal Poly, Indiana was averaging just about 10 service errors a match — a scary number that can derail any match no matter how well you play apart from that.
A clear emphasis in practice was made to get that number down. In Indiana’s game against Cal Poly, they had eight service errors and against Eastern Illinois, six. The number is going in the right direction, and it is going to have to continue going in that direction with quality Big Ten opponents looming.
“I think (serving) is an incredibly important skill,” Aird said. “I think it’s something that if you want to be relevant nationally, you have to be a great serving team. Traditionally we are, and we have had some good contributions, but we have not found ‘it’ yet.”
It seemed like with the crowd behind them, the Hoosiers are getting closer to finding “it” when it comes to serving. Indiana is going to have to find “it” when facing off against one of the toughest conferences in the sport. Having to match up against teams like Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue will be a huge test for this team. Indiana is going to have to ensure that they clean up their service errors before facing off against those teams or else it could end in defeat. When going against teams of that caliber, you cannot afford to gift them any points.
For now, Indiana has time to rest before they are off to South Carolina for the Chanticleer Classic. After that, they are back home and beginning Big Ten play. Look for the service error number to continue to decrease for Indiana as that will help bring more positive momentum for the Hoosiers.
