WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers took down the No. 12 ranked Texas A&M Aggies Wednesday night, winning in five sets 26-24, 26-28, 25-23, 17-25 and 15-9. The Hoosiers improved to 2-1 with the victory, picking up their second SEC win of the season and their first ranked win.
Indiana head coach Steve Aird was reflective postgame, saying how great of an opportunity this was for his team.
“I think what I learned is what I thought I knew,” Aird said. “It’s a team that’s connected that plays hard and believes. We didn’t play great, and there’s a lot we have to get better at, but they are tough and they play hard.”
The Hoosiers jumped out to a commanding 7-1 lead out of the gate thanks to multiple kills and an ace from Jaidyn Jager. Teodora Kričković facilitated much of the offense, finishing the set with 12 assists. Hannah Leftridge added five digs, while Sara Snowbarger and Victoria Gray each contributed kills, putting an end to a late Aggie comeback and giving the Hoosiers a 26-24 win in set one.
In the second set, the Hoosiers and Aggies traded points back and forth. The Aggies took a 9-8 lead early on, with Kirra Musgrove facilitating much of their offense. Emma Segal gave the Hoosiers a 15-13 lead after back to back aces, but it wasn’t enough in the end. After trading points back and forth in the teens, Texas A&M was able to build a lead. The Hoosiers were able to even it at 23-23 after head coach Steve Aird won a challenge on a block touch, but after a couple of tiebreaker points, the Aggies ultimately took the set 28-26.
In the third set, the Hoosiers and Aggies went toe to toe once again. Leftridge helped to facilitate multiple set-swinging rallies, giving the Hoosiers the edge in momentum the entire set. Ella Boersman and Kiki Granberry each contributed multiple kills, and despite multiple Aggie charges late in the game, the Hoosiers never let up, giving themselves a quality 25-23 win.
In the fourth set, it was all Texas A&M. Indiana had no answers for the duo of Kyndal Stowers and Musgrove, and with Indiana never really finding it defensively, there was no chance of coming back in this one, ultimately dropping the set 25-17. Stowers finished with 29 kills, while Musgrove had 27 assists on the night.
In the final set, the Hoosiers regained their footing. Granberry had a huge block right away that gave Indiana an early 3-0 lead out of the gate. Kričković continued to be an elite facilitator, finishing with 45 assists. Boersema, who finished with 21 kills, helped extend the Hoosier lead to 6-2 after a pair of kills at the net. Indiana never relinquished its lead from that point on, and thanks to strong performances from Jager and Gray at the end, they won the final set with a score of 15-9.
The Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge has proven to be a major success for the Hoosiers, and a big reason for that is the tournament presented them with a rare chance to boost their resumé early in the season. The win over No. 12 Texas A&M is the highest ranked non-conference win in Indiana history, but despite this, Aird said his confidence is still “measured.”
“We are waiting on pieces to come back and we have a lot to get better at,” Aird said. “It’s an easy team to be around and that is pretty important.”
The Hoosiers travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the No. 22 Lady Volunteers on Sunday in the Music City Showdown. The game is set to begin at 3 p.m. Eastern and will be featured on ESPN2. While it will be a huge test, Aird believes his team is up for it.
“Wherever they tell us to go, if it’s grass, parking lot, I don’t care, we will play anyone anywhere,” Aird said.
