NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 21 Indiana Hoosiers were swept by the No. 22 Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Sunday, losing by scores of 25-23, 25-23 and 25-16.
The Hoosiers battled hard, but for the entirety of the match it seemed as if the Lady Vols always had the momentum. The Hoosiers would jump out to early leads in each of the three sets, but would always allow Tennessee to come storming back as the set went on.
“We learned a lot about the group this week,” head coach Steve Aird said postgame. "That’s what the preseason is. We are putting a lot of experience into the piggy bank for the Big Ten season."
Repeated service errors in the first two sets did not help the Hoosiers, giving the Lady Vols free points that ultimately came back to haunt Indiana. Jaidyn Jager and Kiki Granberry led the Hoosiers with 10 and six kills respectively. Teodora Kričković added 11 digs and 24 assists, while Hannah Leftridge added five digs.
Kennedi Rogers led the way for the Lady Volunteers, finishing with 19 kills. Caroline Kerr added 32 assists and 10 digs, powering Tennessee to a dominating win.
Indiana’s offense struggled all afternoon, and it did not help that Kričković had her lowest assist total since Louisville. As I mentioned in that article, this Hoosier team needs to work the ball in order to show their opponents varying looks. During wins against Georgia and Texas A&M, Kričković finished with over 40 assists and multiple players registered double digit kills. During losses to Louisville and Tennessee, she finished with under 30 assists and in both games, the Hoosiers were swept and looked lost on offense.
Despite this performance Sunday afternoon, the Hoosiers still finished with a strong showing in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, winning games against Georgia and No. 12 Texas A&M. This team needs to put Sunday behind them and avoid a letdown Monday against Southern Indiana. First serve is set for 3 p.m. in Evansville at Liberty Arena.
